Horrific: Two women, daughters attacked with acid

BAHALWALPUR: Two women and their daughters were attacked with acid in different incidents on Saturday night. Police have arrested a suspect in one of the cases.

Police said Ruqqaya Bibi of Taranda Basharat village, Uch Sharif, had filed a complaint saying that last week, she had gone to the fields near her house when Shafiq, a resident of the same village, eve-teased her. She said that she had started screaming after which several people gathered and thrashed Shafiq. She said some elders of the area had intervened and settled the matter.

On Saturday night, Ruqqaya Bibi was asleep in her house with her daughter Asiya when Shafiq and his accomplices Fayyaz and Riaz broke into her house and attacked her with acid. Asiya was also splashed with acid and received serious burn injuries. The mother and daughter were taken to the Uch Sharif Rural Health Centre for treatment and were later referred to Bahawal Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur.

Separately, Sakeena Bibi, 35, and her visually-impaired husband Ameen were asleep in their house in Luqman Basti, Kotla Sidhoo, Khanpur, on Saturday night when Akram broke into their house and threw acid at Sakeena Bibi. Their daughters Amna and Asiya tried to stop Akram from attacking their mother but were also injured.

The neighbours heard the ruckus and managed to catch Akram while he was trying to flee. They handed him over to the Zahirpir police. Sakeena Bibi and her daughters were taken to a rural health centre for treatment and were later referred to Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan. Doctors said Sakeena Bibi was in critical condition but the girls had been treated and discharged.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 6^th, 2016.