The Supreme Court has directed the federal and provincial governments to take action against illegal jirgas. The apex court was hearing a suo motu case against a jirga (tribal court) in Rajanpur where a man accused of murder was ordered by the jirga to undergo a strange test to prove his innocence.
The accused, Noor Hasan, had to sit in a 10 foot deep hole filled with water till the time it took a man to walk 60 steps. On failing to do this, Hasan was declared guilty and ordered to pay Rs1 million or offer two women from his family in marriage to his rivals. During proceedings, police informed the court that the jirga head along with other accused had been arrested and action was being taken against them.
WOMAN STONED TO DEATH: In a similar incident, a panchayat (local village council) in Dera Ghazi Khan sentenced a woman to death after she was caught using a mobile phone. A mother of two kids, Arifa Bibi was stoned to death by her relatives at the orders of the panchayat. Police registered an FIR against three members of the panchayat but no arrests have been made.
Remarking on the suo motu case, the chief justice said that jirgas were only in places where the police had failed. The apex court in its order directed that people be made aware of illegal jirgas.