Pak woman stripped at panchayat`s order

Lahore: A woman was allegedly stripped naked on the orders of a panchayat in Pakistan`s Punjab province to settle a dispute over an extra-marital affair.

According to the victim Kalsoom Mai, the incident occurred last week in Muzaffarghar district, 400-km from Lahore. Kalsoom, a resident of Qasba Gujrat, told police her relative Mohammad Bilal and others had tortured and stripped her in the presence of local residents. Kalsoom`s husband Muhammad Nawaz was allegedly having an affair with Bilal`s wife. She said she was summoned by the panchayat or village council after Nawaz was caught re- handed with Bilal`s wife . The family of Bilal`s wife thrashed Nawaz and demanded Kalsoom should be humiliated to settle the matter. "On the orders of the panchayat, I was stripped and humiliated in front of other people," Kalsoom said. After this, the other woman`s relatives set Nawaz free. Qasba Gujrat police station chief Javed Akhtar said he had registered a case after receiving a complaint from Kalsoom. A case was also registered against Nawqaz for "humiliating" Bilal`s wife. PTI