SUKKUR, Nov 4: A 40-year-old bloody dispute, which had claimed 21 precious lives in clashes over the decades, was settled by a jirga in Lakhi Ghulam Shah village, 20 kilometres from here on Tuesday.

The jirga imposed comparatively light penalty of Rs5.4 million on both the groups, which seems even more benign if one looks at the history of jirgas notorious for giving harsh verdicts, mainly offering girls in marriage as a means to bring about peace among warring parties.

Reports reaching here said that the jirga headed by MNA Sardar Ghous Bux Mahar gave its verdict after hearing statements of eyewitnesses from either group to fix responsibility for the clashes, which resulted in killings from time to time.

Sources said that the dispute between late Gul Mohammad Mahar and late Allah Dino Mahar groups who were residents of Soomar Mahar village near Lakhi Ghulam Shah had started about 40 years ago, when Gul Mohammad’s sister had eloped with a close relative of late Allah Dino.

The dispute so far claimed 21 lives and left seven injured but people from either group decline to own it as a reason for enmity and say that the enmity started over another issue.

Gul Mohammad Mahar, his son and grandson, and Allah Dino Mahar and his son had also lost lives in the bloody dispute.

The jirga found the two groups guilty of 10 murders and injuries to seven people and fixed Rs400,000 for each murder and Rs200,000 for the injured.

Late Gul Mohammad’s group was found guilty of killing four and injuring three people and was fined Rs2.6 million, while late Allah Dino group was found guilty of killing six and injuring four and were thus ordered to pay Rs3.2 million fine.

Karim Dino Badani and nazim of union council Abdu, Shafi Mohammad Mahar, assisted Sardar Ghous Bux Mahar as Ameens and hundreds of people from the warring parties attended the jirga.

Wahid Bux Mahar, brother of late Allah Dino and Ghulam Rasool, son of late Gul Mohammad represented their groups.

Our Larkana correspondent adds: An 11-year-old feud between two groups of Jalbanis, which had claimed four lives in intermittent clashes over the years, was settled by a jirga in Masodero village, 22 kilometres from here on Tuesday

The jirga headed by Sardar Ali Nawaz Jalbani found the two sides guilty of killing four people and injuring four others and decided that the charge of karo-kari, which triggered the dispute was unfounded.

Sardar Jalbani who was chief arbiter fixed Rs500,000 as fine for each murder and Rs125,000 as fine for each injured man and imposed Rs1 million fine on Bagh Ali Jalbani which he would pay till March to Tajal Jalbani.