Man kills himself after 11-year-old daughter ordered to marry to settle dispute

A Pakistani father killed himself after a tribal council ordered that his 11-year-old daughter be forcibly married to settle a dispute, police said.

The incident emerged after an audio recording of the father, Adil, who goes by one name, was posted on social media this week, in which he says he was coerced into the agreement by a jirga — or a council of elders.

“Adil took his own life by consuming poison to save his 11-year-old daughter from being given away,” said local police official Khalid Javed Khan. “He made it clear that he did not accept the jirga’s verdict and would rather die.”

Police have arrested three men from the jirga, held in remote Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A second police official in the district, Sahibzada Sajjad, confirmed the details.

The jirga was called after a young woman said she was sexually harassed by Adil’s nephew while attending a wedding.

The nephew was fined Rs600,000 ($2,144), which he paid, but Adil was also held responsible because the incident occurred at his home.

“A local tribal jirga ruled that his daughter must be handed over as compensation,” police official Khan added. “She would be forcibly married to the brother of the girl who had been harassed.” He added that Adil’s six daughters “are now safe”.

Traditional jirgas, or village councils of elder men, that settle local disputes are commonplace across rural Pakistan and operate legally alongside the modern court system.

The law however bans the use of women and girls in settlements, but it remains routine.

The harshest punishments claim to be on the grounds of preserving a family’s honour, and can include sexual assault and forced marriage.