Tragedy in Multan

A tragedy recently struck a family in Multan when a mother of two young children took their lives and then committed suicide by consuming acid that she had bought at a nearby market, owing to a disagreement with her husband. The woman was keen on fasting during Ramazan but her husband pushed for her not to fast on account of her breastfeeding their youngest child. The major point of concern was the difficulty and stress arising from being unable to afford basic necessities. Her husband claimed he could not afford infant formula milk and breastfeeding was their only option. It is highly likely that the woman experienced deep mental stress and was under immense pressure, which led to such an extreme act on her part. This tragedy lays bare the reality of our country and society where poor citizens suffer grave difficulties resulting from the rising costs of basic necessities, which in turn lead to psychological trauma and financial stress. This incident highlights several social issues plaguing our society, from extreme poverty and mental health problems to the easy access to acids in the market.

The failure of the government to provide easy and cheap access to basic food items, health facilities and education can be clearly seen here. The lack of action by our politicians to alleviate ubiquitous poverty is, in turn, responsible for the psychological issues suffered by many citizens arising from financial stress. Those who rule us seem oblivious to the far-reaching and deep impact that extreme poverty has on the citizenry and their role in perpetuating such tragedies. Another area where the absence of the government is apparent is in the lack of regulation of acid sales. The use of acid in committing devastating crimes is well known in this country. Despite this, its sale and distribution remain unregulated. The story of this family from Multan is tragic. The sad part is that we will continue to hear of similar tragedies until our rulers start safeguarding the basic rights of all citizens. Unfortunately, that isn’t going to happen any time soon.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 13^th, 2016.

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