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ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the police to lodge a case regarding the alleged killing of girls in the name of honour several years ago in Kohistan area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

After passing many years and appointment of one after another commission, controversy still surrounds the incident as the case was first reported in 2012. It was believed the girls were killed after a video, showing them singing and clapping at a wedding ceremony, was made public.

Reportedly, the girls were killed on the order of a jirga, comprising 12 elders, which announced death sentence to four women, a minor girl and the two boys.

However, Human Rights Activist Farzana Bari through his lawyer appeared before a three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by the Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on Friday and requested the court to reopen the case.

She said that the case was earlier disposed of after a fact-finding report submitted in the court, which revealed the girls are alive and living their normal life. The report said that the same girls were produced before a commission, which visited the village of the girls.

After the case made headlines, this fact-finding mission was sent to Kohistan to find truth about the girls. Two girls were presented before the mission but a member Dr Farzana Bari believed that they were not the same girls, who were spotted in the video.

"Though the commission reported that the girls are alive but I being the member of the commission gave my dissenting note", Farzana Bari informed the apex court. She added: "The court had appointed District and Session Judge Kohistan as second commission to dig out the reality and ordered him to go to the site to verify the fact whether the girls subject of video scandal are alive and living normal life or not."

She informed further that the District and Session Judge along with District Police Officer and senior lady police official went to the site and recorded the statements of some girls presented before the commission by portraying them as girls spotted in the video.

"A report submitted by said commission costs several doubts over girls presented before them during their visit and concluded that the same cannot be assumed as girls seen in the video," she said.

The human rights activist made a request before the apex court to again intervene in the matter and summon the girls in courtroom to identify them, which was declined. The Chief Justice observed that we can only direct the police to register a case or you should file a private compliant if you have some proofs of the killing.

She, however, insisted for a direct intervention of the court while showing his helplessness on the law enforcement agencies and complained that she is struggling since 2012 but the case is still unresolved. Justice Umer Atta Bandial remarked: "It is possible that we have more concern about these girls than you but we will have to act according to the law." The legal counsel appearing in the case requested the court to pass a short order and not dispose of the case to make a check on police till finalisation of its investigation into the matter.

The Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar issued direction to police to lodge a case and investigate whether the girls were murdered or they went missing. Farzana Bari while talking to this scribe expressed her satisfaction on court order and hoped that justice will prevail in the case.