MANSEHRA: Five people were arrested in Shinklari area here on Wednesday after a jirga ordered a minor girl`s forced marriage under the illegal tribal custom of vani.

The police made the arrests after three-yearold Amina Bibi`s uncle, Mohammad Khalid, complained that a jirga settled an elopement issue in Jabor area by announcing her marriage with a 30-year-old man from the other family, Mohammad Javed.

The arrested men were relatives of the jirga members.

The complaint insisted that the jirga was called over the elopement of Yasmin Bibi, 18, and Mohammad Mustafa, 30.

He added that both the man and woman were traced before they got married and the former was handed over to her family.

The complainant said the woman`s familycalled the jirga to demand that an unmarried girl from Mohammad Mustafa`s family be married to one of its members under the vani custom meant to settle disputes among families.

He said the jirga declared Amina Bibi, 3, vani before announcing her marriage with Yasmin`s brother, Mohammad Javed, 30.

District police officer Zaibullah Khan ordered the registration of an FIR against jirga members and their immediate arrest after the girl`s uncle reported the matter to him.

However, the police, held three relatives of the jirga members, including Ali Khan, Mohammad Bashir and Mohammad Akbar, and witnesses Mohammad Sadiq and Mohammad Javed.

FACILITIES PROMISED: Deputy commissioner of Torghar district Javed Ali Orakzai on Wednesday promised the effective resolution of the health, education and civic issues.

`The district administration has launched development projects everywhere in the dis-trict, which will improve the people`s life,` he told an open forum in Newkala Hassainzai area.

District police office Hafiz Janis Khan and additional deputy commissioner Shabbir Ahmad Agash and people from different tribes attended the event in large numbers.

Mr Orakzai said since the government changed the tribal status of Torghar into the district`s in 2011, most problems of the residents were addressed.

`We, the district administration, are striving to serve you by resolving your problems,` hesaid.

The deputy commissioner and DPO later attended a rally staged to express solidarity with the residents of I n d i a h e 1 d Kashmir.