Man walks on burning coal in "trial by fire" in Balochistan

Balochistan Quetta , A man walked on burning coal in Balochistan today in a"trial by fire"after a tribal jirga or council ordered him to do so to prove his innocence in a property dispute. Nazim Ali walked bare foot over blazing coal placed in a pit measuring 12 feet by two feet. Footage beamed by TV channels showed senior jirga members and hundreds of people watching the event that occurred in the Mastung region of Balochistan. Soon after he crossed the pit, Ali & aposs feet were dipped in cold water. The jirga members will monitor his feet during the next few hours to check if blisters appear. " Despite passing over the burning coal, blisters never appear on the feet of the innocent,"said Hazoor Bakhsh, an elder who claimed he had firm belief in the tribal traditions.
During such a"trial by fire", mounds of wood are burnt in the pit to produce enough cinder for the test. Traditionally, the feet of the person undergoing the test are dipped in the blood of a freshly slaughtered goat soon after he crosses the pit. However, the use of cold water is prevalent in some areas.
After a person has walked over the fire, tribal elders wait anywhere between three and 10 hours to see if blisters appear on his feet. If blisters are spotted, the person is declared"guilty"of the charges brought against him. Ali walked over the coal-filled pit to prove his innocence in a family dispute over land.

Describing the practice as"illogical, unconstitutional and barbaric,"lawmaker S M Zafar, chairman of the Senate&aposs standing committee on human rights, asked the government and civil society to join hands to create awareness for ending such superstitious practices.