Swara case: Police arrest jirga members for child marriage

Marriage was held to resolve a longstanding dispute between two tribes.

SWAT: Six members of a jirga, including the prayer leader of Shangram village, were arrested on Friday by the police for arranging the marriage of a five-year old girl to a 10-year old boy. Madyan police said the contract was “null and void” and handed the girl, Nagina, over to her parents.

The marriage between Nagina and Javed was proposed by the jirga to resolve a longstanding dispute between two tribal groups in Sar Banday, Madyan Valley.

The feud started in August 2010 when a man and woman from either tribe eloped, said DSP Naveed Khan. There were many attempts to resolve the dispute but it could not be resolved. Friday’s jirga headed by prayer leader Maulana Jalandar ordered the marriage of the two children, in an attempt to unite the two tribes.

DSP Khan added that as soon as they found out about the marriage, they raided the place and arrested all those involved including fathers of the two children.



This was the third case of Swara in Swat over the past four months.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15^th, 2012.