MPA beats pregnant wife, threatens her with death

MPA Haroon Sultan Bukhari and his elder brother Basit Bukhari allegedly beat up the former’s pregnant wife on Friday until she fainted; menaced her with a gun, threatening to kill her if she told anybody about it; and would not take her to a doctor.

Syeda Mubarik Fatima, under treatment at the Services Hospital, told South Cantonment police her husband – recently elected to the provincial assembly from a Muzaffargarh constituency on a Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) ticket, in a by-election – had been telling her since their marriage two months ago to get her parents to gift him Rs20 million.

On her refusal to oblige, she said, he got abusive and beat her up. On Friday, she said, he reiterated his demand at 2 am and on her ‘no’ brutally beat her up.

She said he was joined by his brother Basit Bukhari, who threatened to kill her if she ever told anybody about the beating.

She said she was beaten so badly she fainted. When she came to hours later, she said, she found herself locked in the room. She said she called her mother who came over and took her to hospital for treatment. Fatima said she feared that her pregnancy may have been terminated as a result of the beating.

Fatima, daughter of Syed Sajjad Ahmed Kirmani, a former provincial minister for health and education, had been living with her husband at the latter’s house in South Cantonment.

Her mother said, Bukhari had also asked for a new car as a gift from her in laws and beaten up Fatima for not getting it. She said Fatima had not told her family about this until they noticed the bruises. When she learnt about the goings on, she said, she tried to talk to her son in law into better behaviour.

On Friday, she said, she had rushed to her daughter’s rescue on getting a phone call from her. She said she had found her badly bruised and bleeding.

An uncle of Fatima said the family had not known that Haroon was an alcoholic. He too said Fatima was routinely beaten.

The mother has appealed to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to help the girl get justice.

MPA Haroon and his brother Basit were not available for their comments.

Cantonment division SP Jawad Qamar told The Express Tribune, the police had registered an FIR under Section 506 of the Pakistan Penal Code. He said more clauses may be added to the report once the medico legal report became available. No arrest had been made in the case so far.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2010.