WUNRN
Swara is a
child marriage custom in
tribal areas of
Pakistan. This custom is tied
to blood feuds among the different tribes and clans where the young girls are
forcibly married to the members of different clans in order to resolve the
feuds.
“Initially, the agreement contained the word swara but later the jirga
members removed it and stated instead that the girl would be married to the
nephew of Daftar as the chief justice was hearing cases against the custom,”
said the girl’s brother."
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http://www.dawn.com/2007/01/07/top14.htm
Pakistan: Tribesman to Hand Over Daughter to
Rivals
By Waseem Ahmad Shah
PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN, NWFP, Jan 6: A tribal notable in
Mohmand Agency is set to hand over his minor daughter to his rivals for settling
a feud in accordance with the decision of a jirga. Members of Malik Syed Mahmood
Jan’s family told Dawn that he had authorised the jirga to take a decision for
settling the feud and had accepted the verdict.
Elder brother of the
girl, Irfan Mohmand, has requested the chief justice of Pakistan and the NWFP
governor to take notice of the issue, saying that his sister might be handed
over to the rival family in a couple of days. The girl is about 16 years old and
a student of class 9.
The written agreement, a copy of which has been
provided to Dawn, states that the daughter of Malik Jan would be married to one
Tehseenullah, nephew of Daftar Khan.
“Initially, the agreement contained
the word swara but later the jirga members removed it and stated instead that
the girl would be married to the nephew of Daftar as the chief justice was
hearing cases against the custom,” said the girl’s brother.
He said that
under the custom of swara in their area, nikah of the girl was not performed at
her parents’ house and she was left at the residence of the rival group. “It is
up to the rival family to decide her fate.” He said his sister had shifted to
the home of their maternal uncle in Charsadda but their father was influential
and he might take her away forcibly.
“My sister has said she will commit
suicide if she is handed over to the rival family,” he added.
A feast
will be held on Sunday in their village, following which it would be up to the
rival family to fix the date for handing over the girl.
Mahmood Jan, his
son Iqrar and nephew Anwer Khan, had been charged with the murder of his cousin
Amanullah. They suspected that Amanullah had killed a son of Mahmood Jan over a
land
feud.
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