Naushahro Feroz: A 13-year-old girl named Faiza was reportedly raped and murdered in Mohabbat Dero, a village in Naushahro Feroz district. The case has triggered serious concerns about the misuse of jirga justice and the lack of protection for vulnerable children.
Police said the girl’s body was found after she had gone missing near a local landlord’s house. Her family alleged that close relatives raped her two weeks earlier, and instead of going to the police, they took the matter to a local jirga for resolution.
The family told authorities that Faiza was handed over to a local landlord for protection. However, she was abducted and killed near his home. Her body was later recovered and taken to Kandiaro Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
A preliminary medical report revealed that Faiza died due to a large amount of sleeping pills in her body.
Azizullah Dahraj, a local influential man, admitted to holding a jirga over the matter. He said that he fined the accused’s family Rs. 400,000 and decided that two girls from the accused family should be given to the victim’s family as compensation. He also claimed to have ruled that Faiza should marry the alleged rapist.
Dahraj denied that Faiza was under his protection but said she used to visit his house. He speculated that Faiza may have taken poison herself or been poisoned by someone else.
Police are waiting for the final post-mortem report before officially registering the case.
This tragic case highlights the dangers of parallel justice systems in rural Pakistan. Human rights groups have demanded a transparent investigation and strict punishment for all involved in this unlawful jirga.
In another tragic incident, a Kuwaiti returnee killed his entire family over a land dispute in Phalia.
