Young girl tortured to death by husband

ISLAMABAD: A newly-wed young girl succumbed to torture afflicted by her husband over a petty issue on Wednesday.

Muneeba Zainab, 21, was brought to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) in a critical condition. Soon after, doctors pronounced her dead. Suspicions against her husband, Asif, led to his arrest, but he informed police
during interrogation that his wife had probably taken sleeping pills or poisoned herself. The couple had a brawl over a petty issue that had left Zainab disturbed, he told the police.

However, the initial post mortem report told another story, with clear marks of torture on her body and head. Police suspected that the girl was hit by some solid object in the head which had caused her death.

The claims of poisoning could only be confirmed after a complete post mortem report in a few days, police said.

Zainab was a resident of Chaklala, Rawalpindi, and had married Asif in a court on July 8 this year. Her parents told the police that she had moved to her husband’s house in E-9 after their marriage. Asif was jobless and had been continuously harassing Zainab for money, which she had to borrow from her parents, they told the police.

Investigations are underway to ascertain the facts behind what seemed to be a murder. According to the initial inquiry, the prime suspect is her husband.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 26^th, 2010.