Woman claims daughter was ‘fated’ to die in acid attack
Anusha suffered terrible burns when parents threw acid on her.
ISLAMABAD:
A woman, who helped her husband kill their teenage daughter by dousing her with acid after seeing her talking to a boy, has told the BBC it was the girl’s destiny to die in this way.
Police in Azad Jammu and Kashmir arrested Muhammad Zafar and his wife Zaheen for the October 29 attack on their daughter Anusha, 15, who died in hospital two days later after suffering horrific acid burns.
The incident took place in Khoi Ratta district, 140 kilometres north of the state capital, Muzaffarabad.
Local police officer Tahir Ayub had told AFP that Zafar had suspicions about his daughter and became enraged when he saw her with a boy outside their home.
Speaking from their police cells, the father told the BBC they had warned Anusha before about looking at boys, while the mother described how her daughter had begged for forgiveness. “She said, ‘I didn’t do it on purpose, I won’t do it again’,” Zaheen, whose own arm bore an injury from the acid, said. “By then I had thrown the acid. It was her destiny to die this way.”
The parents waited two days to take Anusha to hospital. Doctor Mohammad Jahangir of the Kotli hospital has confirmed the death, telling AFP the teenager arrived in a “very critical condition” with almost 70% burns.
Anusha’s married elder sister had alerted police and demanded an investigation. Subsequently, Ayub had said that the police registered a murder case against them after confessing the crime for suspecting her of having “illicit relations” with the boy.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 6th, 2012.
A woman, who helped her husband kill their teenage daughter by dousing her with acid after seeing her talking to a boy, has told the BBC it was the girl’s destiny to die in this way.
Police in Azad Jammu and Kashmir arrested Muhammad Zafar and his wife Zaheen for the October 29 attack on their daughter Anusha, 15, who died in hospital two days later after suffering horrific acid burns.
The incident took place in Khoi Ratta district, 140 kilometres north of the state capital, Muzaffarabad.
Local police officer Tahir Ayub had told AFP that Zafar had suspicions about his daughter and became enraged when he saw her with a boy outside their home.
Speaking from their police cells, the father told the BBC they had warned Anusha before about looking at boys, while the mother described how her daughter had begged for forgiveness. “She said, ‘I didn’t do it on purpose, I won’t do it again’,” Zaheen, whose own arm bore an injury from the acid, said. “By then I had thrown the acid. It was her destiny to die this way.”
The parents waited two days to take Anusha to hospital. Doctor Mohammad Jahangir of the Kotli hospital has confirmed the death, telling AFP the teenager arrived in a “very critical condition” with almost 70% burns.
Anusha’s married elder sister had alerted police and demanded an investigation. Subsequently, Ayub had said that the police registered a murder case against them after confessing the crime for suspecting her of having “illicit relations” with the boy.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 6th, 2012.