MANSEHRA: The district and sessions judge of Kohistan on Tuesday directed police to produce the family members of the five women, who were allegedly killed by their tribe after they were seen singing in a video in 2012, before the court on next hearing.

DSP Nazir Khan told the court that notices were served on the families of the women, seen in the video. He said that local culture and traditions didn’t allow producing women before the court.

Judge Sardar Mohammad Arshad ordered police to either produce the women or their families before the court on April 2.

The court in an order issued last month had directed district police officer to produce the five women before it on February 26 but police could not comply with the order as the judge was on leave and March 18 for fixed for hearing of the case.

The lawyer of Human Rights Commission on Status of Women, which moved the court against the alleged killing of the women, was also present in the court.

The Kohistan video scandal hit headlines in 2012 when Mohammad Afzal Kohistani, the brother of the boys also seen in the video and later killed by tribe of women, demanded of the authorities through media to protect his brothers.

The Human Rights Commission on Status of Women moved local court under Section 491 of Criminal Procedure Code alleging that the women seen in the video were killed by their tribe in accordance with local traditions.

The DSP told reporters that Human Rights Commission on Status of Women moved the court for reopening of the video case but it was yet to produce fresh evidence in that regard.

Mr Khan said that the case was filed after a judicial commission, formed by the apex court, visited Kohistan and met with the said women.

If Human Rights Commission claimed that through a laboratory test it came to know that women produced before the commission were having resemblances with those seen in the video then it should also produce the evidence before police for further investigation.

The district and sessions judge, who is hearing the case, has already awarded death sentence to an accused and life imprisonment to five others, who killed the three brothers seen dancing in front of Kohistani women in the video.

The court sentenced to death Muktasar Khan while Shamsudden, Yadool Khan Taus Khan, Awal Khan and Yatazar Khan got life imprisonment and a fine of Rs0.2 million was imposed on each of them each.

Mohammad Afzal, the brother of slain boys, had claimed that the women, seen in the video, were killed. He also moved court to become party in the case.

ARRESTED: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested two persons for allegedly running secret Hundi centre in Battagram for the last several years.

The arrested persons were identified as Shahabudin and Najibullah. The FIA team also recovered a huge amount from them. Both the suspects were later shifted to Abbottabad for investigation.