VEHARI, July 21: Tibba Sultanpur police registered a case on Monday against an 18- member punchayat or a village council for vani at Chak 124-WB, 50 kilometre from Vehari.

Station House Officer (SHO) Fiaz Shah said that Ali Muhammad approached police, saying that two weeks ago his son Muhammad Shahid eloped with Nasim Bibi, wife of Saeed Ahmed, and fled to Karachi as he wanted to marry her. Some elders of their family intervened to arrange patch-up and on July 19, the punchayat was held at the place of Afzal Gujjar. The gathering decided Noreen Fatima, the sister of Shahid, would be married with Nadeem Ahmed, brother of Saeed. The punchayat held the marriage on the same day.

On Sunday, some other relatives who were against such compensation marriage, informed the police about the incident. Police, however, did not move on their own.

Later, Ali Muhammad filed an application in Tibba Sultanpur police seeking action against the punchayat.

The SHO said initial investigation revealed the marriage was held with the consent of both families, so it was not a vani but arranged marriage. He said groom Nadeem is 15-year-old and bride Noreen 16 years old. He said Ali Muhammad had filed the application on the pressure of some family members and some journalists.

He said that police had arrested three punchayat members -- Taj Muhammad, Muhammad Shafi and Abdul Rasheed, while 15 others were at large.

EXPLOSION: One person was injured in a gas cylinder explosion at a herbal shop at Goal Chowk. Ashraf was manufacturing medicines at the shop when the gas cylinder caught the fire and exploded.

Ashraf was injured and admitted to the Vehari District Headquarters hospital. The shop was gutted in no time.