How not to umpire child’s play

YAZMAN: A woman’s hair was cut and she was tortured over a fight between her son and her neighbour’s children.

According to locals, Chak-147 DB resident Zahoor Mai’s son seven-year-old Hassan was playing cricket with their neighbours in the street outside of their house when the children had a quarrel about whether or not he had been bowled. Hassan and other neighbouhood children began fighting with Ghulam Fareed (13) and neighbours eventually broke up the brawl. “Fareed told me that his father would make sure I paid for my misbehaviour even though he was the one who started hitting me,” said Hassan.

Zahoor Mai eventually ran out into the street and separated the boy with the help of neighbours. Locals said that harsh words were exchanged between Zahoor Mai and Fareed, who swore at her and said that he and his father would make sure she paid for her interference. “Fareed was in a rage, he even tried to throw a brick at the boy and his mother as she led him inside. The boy was bleeding and bruised,” said neighbour Daniyal Qureshi.

That night, Fareed’s father Allah Ditta, his mother Aziz Bibi, his sister Kausar Maeen and cousin Naseem bibi broke into Zahoor Mai’s house and gagged her.

They tied her to her bed and one of the women sat on top of her as Naseem bibi cut off her hair, stole her jewllery and snatched her earrings out of her earlobes. Aziz Bibi tried to cut her nose off with a scythe and disfigured her.

“I managed to get rid of the gag and began to scream for help as my son tried to escape and get someone to help us,” Zahoor Mai told police officials. Neighbours eventually broke into the house and apprehended the accused.

“When we reached the scene neighbours told us that her clothes had been torn and they were trying to disfigure her face, they managed to cause plenty of damage,” said superintendent police (SP) Azhar Butt, adding that Zahoor Mai was then sent to the local hospital. “The family was in shock when we came in, the child was quiet and wouldn’t answer our questions until we assured him that their neighbours could not hurt them anymore,” he said.

Yazman police has registered separate cases against Allah Ditta, Aziz Bibi, Kausar Maeen and Naseem bibi. They have also taken minor Ghulam Fareed into custody. “The family have been questioned separately and Allah Ditta admitted to planning the attack after the children brawled in the street that very afternoon,” SP Butt said, adding that Aziz Bibi, Fareed’s mother said that she had no regrets about disfiguring the woman who had insulted her son. “She deserved it, they are cheats and a disgrace to the community,” Aziz Bibi said. Yazman police is investigating the incident in detail.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 27^th, 2010.