Woman slaughters three minor children

Attempts to commit suicide after brawl with husband

ISLAMABAD:

A woman on Thursday slaughtered her three minor children before attempting to commit suicide after a brawl with her husband over a domestic issue in Alipur Farash within the Shahzad Town Police Station.

The bodies of the victim children, who were identified as seven-year-old Ayan, four-year-old Muskan and three-year-old Noor, were handed over to the heirs after conducting an autopsy at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Islamabad.

The 32-year-old woman, Zeba Khan, who critically injured herself with the same knife she used to slaughter her three minor children, is undergoing treatment at the PIMS hospital intensive care unit.

Police and family sources said that the woman resorted to killing her three minor children as she was fed up with taunts and violence at the hands of her husband, 36-year-old Hidayatullah Khan, a gardener at a local hospital.

The sources said that Hidayatullah, who is said to be an AIDS patient, who lived with his two brothers, sisters and his wife and victim children in a house in Alipur Farash, used to cast aspersion at his wife, suspecting her character.

They said that Hidayatullah used to doubt beat his wife in front of his children and family members, doubting her fidelity to him despite her assurances of being loyal to her.

The sources said that the AIDS ailment had seriously taken a toll on the mental health of Hidayayatullah and he would vent his anger on his wife and the children by resorting to violence every day.

According to the police, a fierce fight broke out between the couple on Thursday and as soon as Hidayatullah left for work, Zeba Khan whipped out a sharp knife and slaughtered her three minor children and attempted to kill herself with the same knife and seriously injured herself.

Police said a case has been registered against the woman and her husband.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st, 2022.