Mardan police rescue minor girl from swara; 11 jirga members arrested

MARDAN: The police have rescued a minor girl who was being given for marriage under the illegal swara custom and arrested 11 members of a local jirga, including a stamp vendor in Mardan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to police, a jirga was convened in the Lund Khwar area of Takht Bhai tehsil.

Authorities received information that a young girl was to be given in marriage to an elderly man as part of a settlement of a dispute. The girl’s uncle was accused of having an extramarital relationship with the wife of the elderly man.

Acting swiftly, police intervened during the jirga proceedings and foiled the attempt. A case was registered against 12 individuals, of whom 11 have been arrested so far.

The rescued girl was taken into protective custody and later handed over to her mother, police confirmed.

Swara is a long-standing but illegal practice in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where girls, often minors, are given in marriage to settle disputes, including cases involving murder or honor-related conflicts.

In a landmark ruling on October 25, 2021, the Federal Shariat Court of Pakistan declared the practice of swara unconstitutional and un-Islamic, stating that it violates the principles of the Holy Quran and Sunnah.

Despite legal prohibitions, such practices persist in some rural areas. Experts warn that the growing misuse of swara as a form of “compensation-based settlement” is becoming increasingly dangerous and may contribute to rising crime rates in society.