Prevailing over jirgas.

THE Federal Shariat Court (FSC) recently asked the provincial government in Balochistan to speed up action on the bill against forced marriages. This happened after the father of a minor girl filed application before FSC against forced and underage marriage of her daughter on the orders of a jirga to settle a murder case.

It is common practice in the country that jirgas and panchayats deal with disputed matters that often result in miscarriage of justice. The jirga system prevailing in Balochistan and erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) entails inhuman 'punishments' and unbelievable ways to prove one's innocence or guilt. These are as brutal as they are in defiance of logic and even common sense.

In 2019, the Supreme Court declared illegal the powers of jirgas...