HRCP questions existence of jirgas

Revival of jirga justice system in Shikarpur village is “flagrant violation” of SHC ruling.

KARACHI: The revival of the jirga justice system in a village in Shikarpur is a “flagrant violation” of a ruling by the Sindh High Court in 2004 that had deemed the holding of jirgas as unconstitutional, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Sindh Chapter vice-chairperson Ghazi Salahuddin stated in a press release.

The jirga has allegedly ordered two girls belonging to one group of the Jatoi tribe to be married to men from another group of the tribe in efforts to settle a karo kari dispute.

This order was acted upon promptly and the underage brides were made to go with their bridegrooms after nikkah, it was also stated.

The rights group appealed to the provincial government to take notice of this “deliberate defiance of the law and constitution” and initiate legal proceedings against the culprits as the incident “is obviously a disgrace for a ruling coalition that professes progressive ideals and a commitment to fundamental human rights”.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24^th, 2010.