Jirga’s justice: Woman seeks protection in Karo-Kari case

Sukkur SSP says FIR to be registered after thorough investigation

SUKKUR: A woman who was ordered to be murdered by a jirga held three days ago in Rajab Dayo village in the outskirts of Rohri has sought protection from the police.

The jirga, which accused the woman of having illicit relations with another man, ordered her killing and slapped a fine of Rs250,000 on the man in the Karo Kari case.

Mukhtiar Khatoon, wife of Ghulam Haider Shaikh, a resident of Rajab Dayo village, told The Express Tribune that her husband used to earn his livelihood through a donkey cart provided to him by her parents. She said since her marriage some fifteen years ago, her husband, a "drug addict and a gambler," used to beat her up. She alleged that he now wanted to get rid of her and had thus, with the collusion of other people, branded her a 'Kari' by falsely accusing her of having an extramarital affair with a villager, Manzoor Jat.

According to her, three days ago, two elders of the village, Mullah Shaman Shaikh and Saindad Shaikh, jointly organised a jirga attended by a large number of villagers, including her husband, the alleged 'Karo' Jat and her maternal uncle, Ramzan Shaikh.

The jirga, after hearing both the parties, declared Jat and Mukhtiar Khatoon as Karo and Kari and slapped a fine of Rs250,000 on Jat and ordered Shaikh to kill his wife. Mukhtiar informed that Jat paid Rs50,000 cash on the spot, which was handed over to her husband with instructions to kill his wife to get the remaining amount.

She explained that her maternal uncle Ramzan immediately rushed to her house and hired a rickshaw to take her to her parents' house in Rohri. "After taking shelter at my parents' house, Saindad and Shaman have been sending men trying to force my parents to hand over me and my six-year-old son to them so 'justice' can be meted out," she said.

Demanding protection, Mukhtiar's mother, Iqbal Khatoon, said "We are poor people and the other side is influential. I request the police to provide us protection."

She claimed despite being poor, they managed to buy their son-in-law a donkey cart so he could make an honest living but being a gambler and an addict he was unable to earn a respectful living and provide for his family.

When contacted, Sukkur SSP Amjad Ahmed Shaikh said soon after receiving information about the jirga, he ordered the relevant SHO to meet the woman in question and record her statement. "Besides this, I have also ordered the officer to register an FIR against the responsible persons after a thorough investigation," he said, adding that no one is above the law.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 18^th, 2016.