Jirga orders man to pay Rs1.3mn or give daughters as ‘compensation’

JACOBABAD: A local jirga  on Wednesday ordered a local Muhammad Hashim Khoso to either pay Rs1.3 million within three months or give away his two daughters as ‘compensation.’

The ruling came in Zubair Khan Khoso Goth situated in district Jacobabad of Sindh.

Muhammad Hashim's brother, Muhammad Rafiq Khoso, was charged in a karo kari case recently. The jirga found Rafiq guilty of being involved with a married woman.

Rafiq, denying the charges, claimed that he is being victimised by a local landlord. However, the landlord also denied the charges bring leveled against him.

The jirga decided that the accused’s brother, Muhammad Hashim, must pay a sum Rs1.3 million within three months or be prepared to give his daughters as ‘compensation.’

Hashim’s two daughters, who are two-year-old and eight-year-old, are too young to even know concepts such as jirga or karo-kari.

The father comes from an unprivileged background and cannot pay the hefty sum. Hashim demanded the relevant authorities to take notice and protect his family.

The jirga’s decision comes a week after National Assembly passed on February 3 a bill to give legal and constitutional cover to the jirga system and panchayat systems of the country. According to the parliamentarians, it would help ensure the quick resolution of civil concerns and reduce the burden from courts.

Controversial decisions by the jirgas have often people raising concerns regarding the credibility of the system.

Last year, country was in uproar when a 16-year-old girl was burned by a group of men after a jirga had found her guilty of helping a young couple run away and elope in Makol in Abbottabad.