SC takes suo motu on Dera Bugti Vani incident

QUETTA: Supreme Court Tuesday took a suo motu notice of a jirga decision in Balochistan province’s Dera Bugti district to give away 13 girls in marriage to settle a dispute.

Taking the notice, the court summoned MPA Mir Tariq Masuri, who allegedly chaired the jirga, and the 13 girls, who were said to have been declared Vani, to appear before it on Wednesday.

According to reports, the jirga presided over by Masuri, a member of the Balochistan Assembly, and held during the second week of last month in Dera Bugti district’s Bakar area made the decision to resolve a dispute between two tribal groups.

SC three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry is hearing the Balochistan law and order case at the SC Registry here.

During the hearing CJ enquired from Dera Bugti DC whether any Vani incident has taken place. DC told the court that the incident occurred at Barakhan and he also came to know about the incident only yesterday.

Earlier, Advocate General said that no such incident occurred on which Justice Khiji Arif remarked that human trading going on and you telling us that the girls were not handed over.

CJ in his remarks said, “We have seen many such cases in Sindh and one minister was found involved.”

Later, the court ordered that MPA Tariq Masuri along with the members of the jirga should be presented before the court tomorrow and action be taken against the persons involved.