Four murderers face execution on Saturday in Pakistan after a protest scuttled a deal by which they sought to escape hanging by selling young daughters into marriage to elderly relatives of their victims.The bridegrooms — one aged 77 and the other 55 — married the 15- and 14-year-old daughters of the murderers on Wednesday morning, but divorced them later the same day on the advice of elders. Pakistan’s Supreme Court also ordered a probe into the deal on Wednesday.Newspaper reports said the family of two murdered men in the village of Abbakhel had demanded Rs 12 million ($200,000) and 20 young brides to agree to pardons for the murderers.The village council mediated a compromise by which the victims’ family agreed to take eight unmarried young women and eight million Rupees ($133,000).The daily Dawn said ‘‘the houses of the brides presented a mourning scene as shrieks and cries were heard when the Nikah was performed”.‘‘Police encircled the girls’ houses to ensure they were not sent to their husbands,’’ a local press reporter said.
