There were conflicting reports regarding the fate of four women in Kohistan who were sentenced to death by a traditional jirga for dancing at a wedding with boys, as the brother of an accused boy claimed that the girls had been shot dead by relatives a few days ago.
However, officials kept denying the reports, top among who was Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain. Commenting on the incident, Mian Iftikhar said the Kohistan DCO had informed him that all four women were alive. Reports from far-flung Palas tehsil of Kohistan revealed that four girls and two boys were sentenced to murder for dancing during a wedding some time ago.
The wedding video became public recently and in response, a 45- member jirga reportedly announced capital punishment for all the six people. Reports said the two boys charged were blood brothers and had escaped the area, while the girls had been put under house arrest in the third week of May. Afzal, a third brother of the accused boys, identified as Gul Nazar and Bunyasir, informed media that all four girls and a fifth one had been executed by relatives on May 31.
The girls belong to Azadkhel tribe whereas the boys belong to Salehkhel tribe of Palas Valley of Kohistan. However, former Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl MPA Maulana Dildar Ahmad and Sub-Inspector Mohammad Naeem contradicted the reports. Dildar alleged that Afzal, who reported the killing, was in fact attempting to blackmail the jirga members, relatives of girls and officials. After the airing of the news, National Assembly’s Standing Committee and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government directed the Hazara and Kohistan administrations for ensuring the safety of girls.
Kohistan girls decreed impure by jirga shot dead?
