KARACHI: Fakhra Yunus, acid victim of former MPA Bilal Khar, was laid to rest in Karachi on Sunday after her funeral prayers were held at Edhi Centre.
Her body reached Karachi airport from Italy earlier during the day amid protests led by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).
Yunus leapt off from the sixth floor of a building on March 17, 2012 in Italy which resulted in her death. She was provided shelter in Italy after being attacked by her husband 12 years back in Karachi.
Female workers of MQM gathered at Jinnah International Airport holding placards and chanting slogans against Khar, who is also the son of former Punjab governor Mustafa Khar.
MQM leader Altaf Hussain has taken immediate notice of the incident and demanded that Khar be ‘severely punished’ for his acts. Other MQM leaders have also demanded action be taken against the former Punjab chief minister and veteran politician Mustafa Khar's son Bilal Khar.
“There is a termite, which is eating our country from within; it is the feudal system,” remarked MQM leader Khushbakht Shujaat during the protest.
Iconic humanitarian worker Abdul Sattar Edhi was also present at the Karachi airport to receive Yunus' body.
Edhi also held the prevalent feudal system in the country to be responsible for such incidents. “They still oppress women the way it happened 8,000 years ago… they consider women to be their properties.”
Tehmina Durrani, who had helped Yunus find refuge in Italy, arrived at the airport along with Yunus’ family. Yunus’ son had handed over the funeral responsibilities to Durrani.
Speaking to the media, Durrani said that Yunus had lived her life with courage. In earlier interviews, Yunus had expressed her desire to return to Pakistan to seek justice.
Musarrat Misbah, a veteran beautician and owner of Depilex Smile Again Foundation For Acid Burn Victims was also present at the airport.
Meanwhile, Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wasan has announced reopening of Yunus case.
The case
In 1998, Yunus was an 18-year-old resident of Napier Road’s Bulbul Bazar, Karachi’s red light district, when she met the then Muzaffargarh MPA Bilal Khar.
Shortly after the marriage, Yunus faced both physical and mental abuse by Khar, which lasted for three years before she eventually escaped and moved in with her mother.
An infuriated Khar allegedly took ‘revenge’ by pouring acid over her on May 14, 2000, as her five year old son watched. The attack left her severely burned, particularly her face. She, however, survived the attack but not before spending three months in intensive care.
Khar used his political influence to evade arrest and absconded, while Yunus’s family faced difficulty in registering an FIR against him.
On October 31, 2002, Khar was eventually arrested, but released in 2003 on Rs 200,000 bail.
COMMENTS (98)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
I hate to see the religion of Islam is associated by the heinous criminal acts committed by immoral and godless individuals. Anyone who has sense of believes in God and says he has a religion knows to never commit harmful act against another being, especially if the religion exclusively commends to never kill or place another being in harm’s way. Godless, inhuman, sinful, repulsive, despicable person is capable of something like this. I am Muslim woman, and I was immigrated to United States 14 years ago. I remember vividly how my life and the lives of many women were. I have seen the humiliating acts that were committed against women by their husband’s, their brothers, their father’s, and its true how male dominated my country was and is still is till today. I didn’t know how to read and write when I was living in my Country as a little girl who was motherless and fatherless but only knew how to speak in my motherland language. When I came to US, education freed me and gave me the prosperity to know what is right and what is wrong and what was being done to women was definitely wrongfully act committed by people who had no God in their lives and claimed to be something they were not. As soon as I have commence to learn how to read and write, I started to understand and learn more about my religion that teaches nothing what these men do to their wives and sisters. These countries are in its states of destroy because no one follows what they preach and what they claim to be. If these men followed the religion they claimed, immorality and indecency would have been wiped away from their hearts and they would have lived with the women in their lives with decency and deference. As Muslim, as woman I know the true concept behind what I am commended to follow and obey. My religion instructions men to love, to honor, to respect, to cherish, to understand woman and to give them their space because this world wasn’t only created for men and God never said men are superior than women and women are inferior and such be treated with such. As Muslim and as woman I know I have my place in this world and with knowledge, with patience I will not tolerate inhuman act being committed against me or any of my close sisters.
Wow, this is one of the saddest stories Ive ever read. I have to not cry. Wow she took her life because someone made her that miserable. What a shame. Im so sorry for her that she had that happen to her and that the devastation was more than most humans could Ever deal with. What a shame. I only found out just now. REST IN TOTAL PEACE. xo. peace to the families of the deceased.
May Allah Subhanahutala give her the highest level of jannah . Poor innocent girl . I always keep her in my duas will never forget her
Wake up people!!! The death of eight innocent people today in Karachi is far most important than this, media needs to take notice of that too!
May her soul rest in peace!
@Indian: Sir.. this has nothing to with creation of Pakistan... if there is a crime in India, do you say Gandhi did not think about this when asking for independence... dont bring these matters when the nation in this forum is mourning the death of a victim of crime... have some heart or is to much to ask from you...
@Azad:
If you want to solve a problem, face it and please do not hide behind a sweeping generalization
People must force all the politicians and political parties to take public position on this crime. All the politician must show where they stand, are they with us the people or with these criminal, cruel and lawbreaking feudals and their sons. It has to be NOW or NEVER!
Im highly depressed . Fakhira was a extremely brave lady but she couldn't endure more trauma. RIP fakhira . why the culprit men don't realize the pain women go thorough after an acid attack. its brutal, very brutal. No one deserve such pain .Shame on you Khar . I wonder how you are living with such guilt .
For all that happened to her, pathetic reporting by the media to bring in moolah is hardly going to help her or her family get some justice.
Case in point from this article:
Married in 98 at 18 year age Acid thrown in 2000 in front of 5 year old son
Was there something else in work here some may ask after reading this bit of information..and if so why no mention of it.
Allah will do the correct justice for her and I know He will ...
@Ali: "Killing yourself is no less heinous than what happened to this poor lady" It is quiet possible some one pushed her off from the 6th floor. Fakhra was killed 12 years ago and buried yesterday. A woman's life is finished when her face is destroyed. Media, Pakistan's public, Pakistaan's government all failed to get Fakhra justice.
It's a day shame for Pakistan, leaders are not to blame! The whole of pakistani people are to blame for her death, it's the people who vote for this hearthless scumbags into power, shame on all the voters.. may you rest in peace..
Where is chief justice?he normally takes notice for very minor issues,why he is silent?
@Ahmed: must disagree with you since a very wise man once said "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind" so no we should not follow that policy at all!
Secondly, its quite ironic how when Islam was created, women were given more rights then any other place and now sadly, they have more rights everywhere else instead of in Islamic countries. shame on us!
we must condemn all these brutality caused by women sufferings ..........n must stop violation like that ........n those who are responsible for this .........give them severe punishment ........bcoz we dont kw who mch tht lady suffered socially morally n in every respect of life ...........
May ALLAH rest her soul in peace ..............AMEEN
may her soul rest in peace.amean.
So sad. My heart goes to the breived family. This speaks a lot about Pakistan justice system. A typical wadaira taking advantage of the poor girl and then throwing acid on her. God! what a tragedy and what a shame?
if Fakhra Yunus's husband did not use the acid, who did? Sorry Bilal Khar, to use your words the court may believe you, but I am finding it difficult.
Fakhra would not have to commit suiside, had Pakistanis celebrated Miss Chinoy's message as vigorously as they celebrated her Oscar.
we are muslims???this is a slap not on the government this is slap on every pakistani.one more injustice one more brutality.is there anyone who can do justice with her???with the days gone this willl become the past and and justice will remain a dream..
Feudalism is an evil parasite which is eating away the roots of Pakistan. It must be abolished ASAP.
@Ismail: And so?? What is this dooms day crap??
v sad :(((
As usual the reporting in this case lacks substance and is full of sensationalism. We dont know why did she resort to suicide and what happened during her stay in italy. After all sh e was there for quite a time.
Another very important issue this episode raises is inability of our judicial system. Man made system can never provide true justice.
Women are treated like chattel in South Asian Countries. @ Ahmed "Eye for eye will leave the world full of one eyed people " _ Mahatma Gandhi Civilizations and societies survive because of people like AbdulSattarEdhi If you have read "My Feudal Lord " by Ms Tehmina Durrani ex wife of Mr Mustafa Khar ,you will know that the treatment of women by this feudal family is not an isolated event .
@MarkH Dear MarkH, At last we have found something to agree about. Burning women with acid should be a criminal offence that is punished quickly..:
To: ET
stop using last names, it does not suit our way of naming, it is confusing and is not understandable in our culture...
The accused is first cousin of our FM Hina rabbani khar. i request her to raise her voice against the injustice meted out to Fakhira. She has to choose a side! so what would it be? her cousin or a fellow female...
It is a great shame to to all Pakistani that the Bilal Khar is still not punished. We pakistani should unite and voice agaist all sorts of injustices and crimes being done by influential mafias and land lords.Where are the preachers of Islam hiding and why they are not agitating agaist this crime against numanity.
fakhra case is of course a routine matters for our feudals/parental politicians. we the people of pakistan r responsible for all this because, we have lost out real methodologies,civility,moral values and not supporting the victims but culprits.
No words can condemn this evil behavior! Khar should be severely punished.
@shadi: That's precisely why we are where we are because we're an Islamic country.
@MarkH: Your are sane person,lives among sane people,what you said,not about sanity but pure hate,unadulterated.Pure evil.What is worse,she was the mother of his son,and that he did this evil act infront of 5 year kid,go figure,yet they can not convict him.
@wat da eff: Why,Lord,Where is He? In all of us.Act yourself and see,how rewarding it is,instead invoking God.You do not need secularism,just separate religion with outward life,keep religion indoor,if not out of you.
The so-called free media, Altaf & MQM, kept quite for 8 long years and now all of every body is jumping on the band wagon; shame on all! A note to MQM; PPP is a party of feudals if u are true to what u say then leave PPP!
This Khar guy is the first cousin of our "esteemed" foreign minister, lets see what she has to say about this
no update what happened from 2003 -2011 just a question to media
keep politics out of equation
simply legal course should take action.
no point in praising one or other party
Fakhra Yunus: May you rest in peace and May Allah SWT grant you the highest place in Jannat. We have failed you. The photograph is heart breaking and shocking and kudos to ET for publishing it. Enough of sweeping this under the carpet. Proud of MQM and as always of Edhi sahib. May Allah bless Edhi sahib. He is our moral compass.
Barbaric act === Action should be taken against bilal khar
Why MQM in action now just curious -- crime in 2000 now woke up from sleep. part of mighty mushraf - no hue and cry then
just curious
The foreign minister of Pakistan Hina Rabbani Khar's cousin is an attacker in this acid case and she honors Ocsar winner Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy for her documentary about acid victims. What a hypocritical world we live in?
Look carefully.That's how Pakistan looks today>
Unfreakinbelievable! I hope she gets justice. This makes me so damn angry. Proud of MQM!
The deceased lady will never find justice because she was poor and helpless and her attacker was offspring of a wealthy and influential man.
No prizes for guessing where the masochistic patriarchal, male-ownership of females comes from. A hint: It is not just "feudalism", but something deeper and more ingrained, something that get's passed on from parent to child and from teacher to student, something that is a part of our syllabus so that we see even educated people having cognitive dissonances when they condemn barbarities but can't bring themselves to condemn the root of the barbarities.
@Hamid: This has nothing to do with PPP. The father of the main culprit has very close association with the elder Sharif. He was the one who accompanied him during an attempt to end his exile, when even his real brother, now the chief minister of the province where the culprit resides, was too scared of giving him a company. Now the Sharif's owe it to the Khars. They will never arrest and prosecute the perpetrator of this heinous crime.
Help get this pour soul justice. Proud of MQM!
Altaf bhai action loo
It’s the time to throw Feudals out from the Assemblies. Time to open our eyes. for god sake educate those who elect them. Imran Khan’s Tsunami is the last and only hope. Don’t expect any legal and social justice from Feudals. There must be a big really like chef justice really. Why the culprit is still free and justice is handicapped??? Its not the death of an innocent, its the death of Pakistani Legal System.
In most acid throwing cases, culprit is unknown or at least his whereabouts are unknown. In this case, everyone knows who it was and where he lives. Its shameful that nothing has been done about it.If the government doesn't take action, some individual should. We all will be asked about it on judgement day as we are equally to blame for taking no action.
Any harsh punishment to the culprit will bring out HR activists shouting humanitarian slogans.
Don't say that the Pakistani men. You have no clue about the other nations men, they are just controlled by law. It's just the fragile system of judiciary. this clay is very rich.
Very sad, Bilal Khar needs to be given exemplary punishment, We hope the SC and CJ are listening...and the PM who was so smitten by Chinoy's work, he needs to act on the causition. Lets see if her can punish the foeign minister hina rabbani khars cousin brother...after all she is the soft image of Pakistan.....
The picture is heart breaking... literally heart breaking......law is greater than religion because law is uniform..it knows no islam or hindu.
Whats the use of crying now? All those Acid activist didnt remember her 12 years ago?
Killing yourself is no less heinous than what happened to this poor lady
Proud of MQM and their stand on this issue
Whither Justice?
No suo moto notice against the rich and powerful?
@Rehan Then you should be ashamed of being human as well, considering what humans havebeen doing in general.
You shouldnt be ashamed, you should raise your voice for Justice.
My heart goes out to Fakhra and all the women who are abused by their husbands(so called protectors). This case signifies the injustice faced by women at the hands of the political influental people in pakistan. Justice was supposed to be metted out the day the incident occured not when fakhra finally gave up on life. Shame on you khar!
This is the time the new acid throwing law approved in light of Sharmeen chinoys documentary will be tested. Is the government strong enough to hold accountable a feudal lord!!!
The court should order acid being thrown on Khar and let him live like that for the rest of his life.
Punishments need to be harsh, as harsh as the crime itself.
Even with disfigured face Fakhra remains beautiful; hideous and ugly is the soul of the person who committed this crime - and like him - many others who do so every day in Pakistan with impunity.
Justice for Faiza Gabol!!
Her jumping to death is a slap on the face of our fragile Judicial System which provides the infuential culprits thousands windows to escape and only one window to the poor, helpless victims (like Fakhra Younus).................. The Window of Death..... .
Pakistani men are not human. Humans have hearts. These creatures who call themselves 'men' don't have hearts. I am ashamed for my gender today. Deeply, deeply ashamed. My best wishes for Fakhra's family and friends and may Fakhra rest in peace. Regards, Rehan
No Comments :s May Allah bless her soul Ameen.
Just too sad
It's so sad ... dirty and corrupt politicians ..hate them
Where is our Ghairet brigade to protest this? Why do we only protest when America is involved and stay quite against the beasts within us?
Death of Fakhra Yunus is the death of 'justice' in Pakistan ! Khel Khatam !!!
M. R@fique Zakaria Karachi
May her soul rest in peace, I bet this will get article will get less views than any Veena Malik piece out there. What a society!!
This is another highly tragic incident in a feudal society. Will we ever witness justice in this case?
That's actually the first picture I've seen of the result of those acid attacks. How so many people can do that and still live with themselves is beyond me. Even insane serial killers that mutilate their victims usually don't come close to that kind of damage and cruelty. Even the majority of historic torture methods aren't that bad for the most part and that's nowhere near an exaggeration on my part.
I'm speechless after reading all this....why cant so called Mullahs issue fatwas against such hideous men out there ..why mullahs only issue fatwas against entertainers like veena malik and other women...why do they keep silent on issues like this....God !!! please do something ....where are you lord ???? cant you see the pain of such women ...why people like Khar are able to get away from sucha crime :((((
May her soul rest in peace!
How about a suo moto notice by mr. chief on this case? ??
Even handed, across the board justice is still a dream in many countries but more so in Pakistan where influence and wealth manage to slow down and frustrate the process of justice.
We talk about being an Islmaic country, how we hold so much pride in our nation, how we are better than india or usa or bangladesh. But we can not even provide security for the mothers and daughters of this nation. This womens story is why we as a nation are suffering so much, because we as humans have closed our eyes. Its not because of the corrupt politicians or generals its because of our in human acts that we are suffering so much.