Burning concerns: 15-year-old sets herself on fire in front of parents

Nazia’s cousin told police that she was being forced into marriage.

A fifteen-year-old girl set herself on fire after her parents’ tried to force her into marrying against her will.

According to police officials, Katchi Abadi 11WB resident Fida Hussain and his wife had been quarrelling for weeks about the marriage of their daughter Nazia. “They were arguing about several proposals for the girl. The mother wanted to wait till she got married but her father was adamant she be married off soon,” said Nazia’s cousin Asiya.

Asiya told police officials that her cousin feared she would be married off against her will and was extremely depressed. “She often spoke of running away but she didn’t want to bring shame upon the family. Nazia wanted to complete her education but her father had locked her in a room for several days to force her into accepting a proposal,” she said.

A servant at the house said that on Wednesday morning, Nazia came into her parent’s room and set herself on fire in front of them. “She had sprinkled oil on herself and came into the room and lit a match. We all struggled to put out the fire but she had used petrol and it took us nearly ten minutes,” he said.

Nazia was taken to the district headquarters hospital (DHQ) in Vehari but doctors said they were not equipped to deal with her wounds and she was referred to Nishtar hospital in Multan on Wednesday afternoon.

Nishtar Hospital resident Dr Ilyas Khan said that Nazia had suffered third degree burns to over 80 percent of her body. “We are keeping her in the burn ward but she also needs surgery because she injured herself before she lit the fire. It is unlikely she will survive because her burns are severe,” he said.

Doctors said that they were doing all they could to help Nazia and she was currently in the Nishtar Hospital burns unit. Nazia’s uncle Muhammad Riaz said that his niece was in critical condition and that he was looking out for her. “Her parents continued arguing even at the hospital and I asked the doctors to ask them to leave. If they cannot focus on the needs of their daughter at this time then they never will,” he told reporters.

Nazia’s mother Iffat Hussain said that she never suspected her daughter would try to kill herself. “There was no real dispute. We were just debating between several proposals that had arrived for her. We would never have married her without her consent,” she said.

Nazia’s father Fida Hussain said that he had arranged his daughter’s marriage with her consent. “She has already completed her matriculation and there were several proposals. I discussed the matter with her and she agreed to a match. No one forced her,” he said.

Multan Civil Lines Police Station House Officer (SHO) Kareem Shahid said that he was investigating the incident. “Right now we have conflicting accounts about why she tried to kill herself but we are questioning other members of the family,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16th, 2011.