ISLAMABAD: Haripur police arrested on Thursday another four accused in a case about a local woman who was paraded naked in the streets of her village Neelor Bala on the orders of a jirga.
Police detained Mohammad Bashir, the self-styled village chief, and Suleman and his two brothers Imran and Arslan.Mansoor, brother of Suleman, is still absconding. Bashir's brother Raqeeb and their relative Matloob are already in police custody.
Suleman had accused his wife of having illicit relations with Kazim and Rashid, son and cousin of the victim.
The woman has returned to the village, along with her family. But she does not stay there at night and moves to a place in Haripur provided by the Sahara Foundation.
Abbotabad DIG Dr Naeem Khan said police had collected sufficient evidence and the accused would be produced in court on Friday. He said that extra police force had been deployed in Neelor Bala.
“Jirgas have no legal rights to issue orders and anybody taking such decisions will be dealt with severely,” the DIG said.
He said that Suleman's wife who had been accused of having illicit relations with Kazim and Rashid was also a victim and police would take up her case.
Meanwhile, Sakhawat Shah, the imam of a mosque who was part of the jirga which decided that Suleman divorce his wife, said the forced divorce was not allowed in Islam.
“Basic principles of jirga as per Islamic traditions, including taking oath before the start of the proceedings, were not followed,” he told on phone.
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