Just no room for sporting spirit

A man threw acid on a nine-year-old boy for disrupting a pigeon flying race in the district on Saturday. According to eyewitnesses, a clash over pigeon flying led to acid being thrown on Azhar, 9, after he pulled at the shirt of one of the contestants.


“He was trying to find his father among the contestants because he wanted to leave. When he pulled the man’s shirt he accidentally released his pigeon early and was enraged,” said eyewitness Saleem. The boy was taken to the headquarters hospital in Khanpur and his condition is reportedly serious. According to residents of the area, Azhar interfered with the race and Mujahid and his brother Muhammad Asif Jamali threw acid in his face. The boy’s father has filed a case with local police. “They nearly killed my son over a silly pigeon race. I still can’t believe that he might not survive this,” Azhar’s father, Shakeel said. Shakeel said that doctors had told him that Azhar had sustained 80 percent burns. “One man held him down while the other threw acid over him. The doctors said that his face was completely burnt,” Rahim Yar Police inspector Sadiq said. “We are searching for the two men but they have escaped,” he added.