Pakistan – Gang Rape of Age 14 Girl – Forced Family Settlement of Wheat by Illegal Jirga Traditional System
Author: WUNRN
Date: April 19, 2016
A jirga is a traditional assembly of leaders that make decisions by consensus and according to the teachings of Islam. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jirga
http://www.humanrights.asia/news/urgent-appeals/AHRC-UAC-031-2016
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 14-year-old girl was gang raped by influential persons from a political party, and the matter was settled with compensation of 1200 kilograms of wheat through the illegal jirga system. The girl’s father says he had no choice but to accept the compensation, as the rapists were influential persons and he is simply a peasant. Following media attention, one of the perpetrators was arrested, while the other remains at large. The police have also taken no action against those conducting the illegal jirga. The girl’s family is living in fear from threats by influential persons…..
PAKISTAN – GANG RAPE OF AGE 14 GIRL – FORCED FAMILY SETTLEMENT BY ILLEGAL JIRGA TRADITIONAL SYSTEM
The victim’s father was promised a compensation of 1,200kg of wheat.
April 3, 2016 – ISLAMABAD: A gang rape case in Pakistan has been allegedly settled for 1,200kg of wheat by local elders, highlighting the grave travesty of justice in the country.
A police case was registered few days ago on complaint of the 14-year-old victim’s brother in Ghulam Nabi Shah area of Umerkot district in Sindh province.
The victim’s father said that following the registration of the case and the subsequent arrest of the main suspect, he was forced to settle the dispute through the ‘jirga’, a traditional system of settling disputes through tribal elders, and was promised a compensation of 1,200kg of wheat.
The jirga was held under the supervision of a local influential landlord, he added.
He said that after he refused to accept the compensation he was forced to leave the area with his family. He alleged that since local media highlighted the issue, local elites have been threatening him to keep mum and withdraw the case, the report said.
Deputy inspector general of police Mirpurkhas division Javed Alam Odho, took notice of the incident and directed Senior superintendent of police Umerkot to investigate the case and provide protection to the victim’s family.
The station house officer of Ghulam Nabi Shah, Arif Bhatti, said local police had registered the case on March 21 under Sections 376 (2) and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code, and has already arrested the prime suspect.
The official, however, said he was not aware of any jirga being held in the jurisdiction of his police station.
Pakistani courts have declared jirga system as illegal and their decisions as non-binding but such jirgas are held in remote areas.
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