A jirga (tribal elders’ conclave) at Dera Bugti in Pakistan’s Balochistan province declared 13 girls ‘vani’ on Monday while settling a murder-related conflict between two tribes, Express News reported.
Vani is a tribal custom in which girls are forced to marry members of different tribes as a result of settlement of feuds between conflicting clans.
The conflict was between the Bagirani and Shahwani tribes of the area. Earlier on October 4, two vani cases were reported from separate localities of Mansehra.
According to a Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) report, as many as 341 cases of forced marriage were reported in 27 districts in May this year.
Among Pakistan’s provinces,all regions, cases of forced marriages decreased in Punjab and Sindh. However, a significant increase of 66 per cent was registered in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) where 24 cases were reported in May 2012 as compared to last year’s nine.
Published 08 October 2012, 19:55 IST