Finally over?: 10-year dispute between Jeho families settled via jirga at fourth attempt

Eight people have been killed and six injured during the course of this disagreement

SUKKUR: A 10-year-old dispute between two groups of the Jeho community was settled amicably through a jirga, held in the Chanesar Jeho village near Garhi Yasin in district Shikarpur on Wednesday.

The jirga was held in Chanesar Jeho village under Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders Zulfiqar Kamario and his brother Najab Ali Kamario to settle the 10-year-old dispute between two groups of Jeho community from the Sadiq Jeho village. Deenal Jeho represented the Gulab Jeho group and Ajeeb Jeho represented the Ameer Bux Jeho group.

The jirga heard both the parties at length and recorded the witnesses' statements. The ameers of the jirga, after an in-depth discussion, announced the verdict, according to which the Ameer Bux Jeho group was found guilty of killing three persons and injuring three others from the Gulab Jeho group and a fine of Rs2.9 million was imposed upon them. The Gulab Jeho group was found guilty of killing five persons and injuring three persons belonging to the Ameer Bux group and fine of Rs4.5 million was imposed on them.

The fine for every person killed was fixed at Rs800,000 and an amount ranging between Rs100,000 and  Rs150,000 was fixed for the injured. Both the parties reportedly accepted the jirga's verdict and promised to pay the fines in January. The dispute began over a minor issue 10-years-ago and has so far have claimed eight lives.

Earlier, the dispute between the two groups was reconciled through jirgas thrice but the verdicts of those jirgas proved short-lived. The jirga held yesterday was the fourth of its kind and both the groups have promised not to renew the dispute again.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1^st, 2016.