Entire village set on fire over 'love marriage' dispute in Pakistan's Sindh province

More than 100 houses were set ablaze in the Jacobabad district of Sindh province following a violent incident triggered by a dispute over a free-will marriage between two individuals belonging to different communities, local media reported on Sunday.

The Jacobabad police lodged a First Information Report (FIR) regarding the incident and arrested five suspects among the thirty-two nominated individuals.

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has taken serious notice of the shocking incident in Jacobabad where an entire village was allegedly set ablaze following a so-called “love marriage,” with more than 100 houses reportedly torched in the attack.

The tragedy unfolded in village Muhammad Siddique Arain in Mirpur Burirro, which was allegedly attacked on May 5 by over a hundred armed men from the Channa tribe.

According to the residents of the Burirro tribe, the attackers fired gunshots, forced people out of their homes and later set their houses on fire along with all their belongings and valuables.

The attackers belonging to village Ghazi Khan Channa committed the savagery as punishment for Burirros, one of whom had recently married a girl from the Channa tribe without her parents' consent.

Sidra Channa solemnized her marriage with Muhammad Hassan Burirro in Hyderabad earlier this month in a court. Speaking to the media, she said she left her house of her own free will to marry Hassan and did not take any valuables with her. She demanded protection, citing death threats from her family.

Local residents said the situation turned serious nearly 10 days after the marriage when the girl’s relatives and their supporters allegedly attacked village Muhammad Sadiq Arain and set several houses on fire.

Household belongings were completely destroyed in the blaze, while affected families claimed they suffered losses worth hundreds of thousands of rupees.

According to former prime minister Mian Soomro who visited the affected village on Saturday, the attackers burned down 80 houses.

He said two girls from the village also went missing after the attack, adding that the girls might have been killed or kidnapped. "No law or morality can condone such a cruel and heinous revenge," he said.