BUNER: Police on Saturday arrested 13 suspects from Banda Tangi village in Buner district over their alleged involvement in a case pertaining suwara (also known as vani).
Suwara is a cultural norm in some areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan under which a young girl is forced to marry an older man as part of the punishment for a crime committed by her male relative.
A jirga had ordered the marriage of a minor girl, aged between four to five years, to an old man after her brother eloped with a girl from his village. Jirga has even imposed Rs200,000 fine on girl’s family.
After the complaint by the family to police, all 13 involved men were arrested. The case against them has been registered under clauses 310A and 39 of the Child Protection Act 2010.
The suspects have been identified as Qasim Khan, Wazir Ali Zartaj, Ashtar Khan, Bakht Zameen, Bakht Sultan, Riaz, Amir Muhammad Khan, Amroz Khan, Maulvi Zahir Saeed, and Tanush Khan.
Talking to media, District police officer Buner Muhammad Irshad Khan Yousafzai, said that there is no space for such ills in the society. “Action will be taken immediately after such incidents are reported,” he said, adding that all involved in this heinous crime will be taken to task.
