CHAKWAL: An enmity which started between two families in Chakwal in 1979 has laid siege to the village, where even vendors are not allowed in to sell their wares for security reasons.

The rivalry claimed four more lives late last month, which has led to three police constables and an assistant sub-inspector being deputed at the entrance of the village by district police officer, Mohammad Haroon Joiya, in order to provide security to the victims’ family.

Maira was one of the more prosperous villages in Chakwal some years ago and had vast fertile agricultural land, which is now abandoned. Maira was founded by Samundar Khan and his brother Mahar Khan, descendents of one of the four clans who owned Chakwal city and its 84 villages. The brothers were the first cousins of Sultan Mohammad, the grandfather of Sardar Ghulam Abbas, who is an influential politician from Chakwal.

According to Mr Abbas, the brother of his ancestor Sultan Mohammad, Habib Khan was murdered by one Akbar Khan and Feroz Khan who belonged to another village and were said to be hired by Samundar Khan and Mahar Khan. Feroz Khan was killed by Sultan and Akbar was arrested and executed.

In order to maintain peace, British officers divided the land between the two families.

“The land in Kot Chaudhrian was not as fertile as that in Maira but my grandfather decided to stay here and Samundar and Mahar settled in Maira,” Mr Abbas said.

In 1979, Samundar’s grandson, Chaudhry Ghulam Ali and his friend Ghulam Abbas, who was from the Bhoun Village, were killed.

Ghulam Ali’s younger brother, Chaudhry Mehdi had shot at a resident of Maira, Mohammad Bashir for refusing to harvest his crops, according to a cousin of Bashir. He said this led to animosity between the families and a few months later, Ghulam Ali and Ghulam Abbas were killed. The police charged Bashir for the murders. The accused, who was serving in Pakistan Rangers, was awarded a life term by the court but was freed after a few years by the Lahore High Court.

Ghulam Ali’s widow married Chaudhry Mehdi and the couple had two sons, Azhar and Hassan who grew up hearing about their uncle’s death.

In 2011, Azhar shot Bashir’s younger brother, Mohammad Shafique to avenge his uncle’s death but the victim survived.

The two families reconciled due to efforts by Sardar Ghulam Abbas but Hassan and his cousin Mukhtar allegedly shot and killed Bashir and his nephew Tariq on Aug 6, 2016.

Both the accused are still under trial. Another gunfight between the two groups took place on May 22 during which two men were killed, including Javed, the elder brother of Tariq and the father of Mukhtar, Chaudhry Fateh Rang.

On July 20, to avenge the death of Chaudhry Fateh, the Chaudhry tribe attacked five members of the rival family, who were on their way to the district courts during which four men of the same family were killed and the fifth survived.

“Before the attack, the Chaudhrys first vacated their houses and relocated their women and children to safer places,” a police official said.

“We have lost seven members of our family in the space of a year and four are in jail and are charged with the murder of Chaudhry Fateh,” a member of the family said.

The police booked 17 people in connection with the July 20 incident but the four prime accused could not be arrested and the rest are out on interim bail.

So far, 16 people have been killed in the village since 1979 and not one of the accused has been punished so far.

DPO Joiya vowed that the accused in the July 20 incident will be arrested soon.

“We are providing security to the victims’ family and have decided to provide security to other groups who have to visit the courts due to criminal cases for old enmities as well,” he added.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2017