Woman, 4 children attempt suicide

KARACHI: A woman and her four children allegedly attempted suicide by taking sleeping pills in their house in Safura Goth on Thursday.

They lost consciousness and were first taken to a private hospital near their house. Later they were shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC). According to doctors at JPMC, all the victims are out of danger, which include Zubaida, 35, her three teenage daughters, 18-year-old Rubina, 16-year-old Ayesha, 14-year-old Afshan and her five-year-old son Yasir.

The reason behind the suicide attempt was believed to be domestic issues, according to police officials. SHO Lal Buksh told The Express Tribune that Zubaida’s husband, Wasim, who is an estate agent, had married another woman, Rubina, after which he stopped paying for Zubaida and their children. This compelled her to take the pills and force four of her children to do the same.

The police said that before the incident, she had asked Wasim for money but he had refused yet again.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 18^th, 2010.