MINGORA, Sept 18: A local court in Matta tehsil here on Wednesday sent nine people to jail for holding a jirga to give a minor girl in swara to the rival family.

According to police, the accused had called a jirga on Sept 15 at Ragstoon area of Matta tehsil to resolve an honour-related issue between the two families. The police said that they foiled the attempt when the jirga was underway to give six-year-old daughter of Sher Zamin to an eight-year-old son of Akbar Ali.

Police later registered an FIR against 12 accused persons, including parents of both the children and jirga members. A police official said that two of the accused had already got bail before arrest, while other nine accused, including father of the girl Sher Zamin, father of the boy Akbar Ali and jirga chief Hamid, were produced before the court of judicial magistrate Matta, who sent all of them to district jail Timargara.

DEMAND: Peace volunteers of Kabal and Matta tehsils have demanded of the provincial government to review its decision about withdrawal of army troops from the militancy-hit Swat district.

A meeting of different village defence committees was held at Matta tehsil to review the law and order situation. The participants condemned the recent attack on General Officer Commanding Maj. Gen. Sanauallah and other army officials and offered fateha for their departed souls.

They opposed the decision of provincial government to call back army troops from Swat district and demanded for review of the decision.

Sources said that a similar meeting of peace volunteers was also held at Bara Bandai, Kabal tehsil, while a rally was held at Khwazakhela tehsil, which was led by local trade union president Sher Alam, to oppose the provincial government’s decision. —Correspondent