Acid attack: Two women burned by husbands

One of the victims was allegedly attacked for bearing a girl.

BAHAWALPUR/ MULTAN:

An elderly man was arrested on Sunday for throwing acid at his wife.

The woman was taken to the rural health centre, where she was said to be out of danger. Doctors treating her said her chest had been affected.

Police said they were told that Ghulam Qadir, a resident of Taranda Muhammad Panah, was suffering from a psychological disorder.



They said his wife had died a decade ago. A few years ago, they said, he married a young widow from the same village. Police quoted some neighbours as saying that Qadir suspected that his wife was having an illicit relationship. They said he often beat her and would stop after some neighbours’ intervention.

On Sunday, police said, some neighbours heard the woman’s cries. When they rushed to her rescue, they found that Qadir had thrown acid at her.

Police were called and Qadir was arrested. Police said they were investigating the matter.

“Burned for giving birth to a girl”

A woman was burned with acid allegedly by her husband apparently for giving birth to a girl, who their relatives said was thrown into a canal. The relatives told the police that the man told them that his wife had had a still birth.



The woman was taken to Nishtar Hospital in Multan where doctors said she had 60 per cent burns. They said she would likely survive.

The assailant fled and has been missing.

Police said the 22-year-old Saiqa Bibi* of Jinnah Colony in Jahanian had married Muhammad Alam, 24, a daily wager.

Saiqa Bibi told police that Alam had been quarreling with her since the day he discovered that she was pregnant with a girl. She said he often beat her publicly. She said he had wanted a son.

On Sunday, she said, shortly after she gave birth to a girl, he told the midwife to leave.

She said he took the newborn with him and returned a few hours later without it. He told them that the baby was dead and that he had thrown it in the Lower Bari Canal in Chak 10-R.

She said when she started shouting, he threw a jug full of acid at her that he had brought with him. He fled.

She said some neighbours rushed to help her and took her to the tehsil headquarters hospital, from where she was sent to Nishtar Hospital in Multan. Doctors treating her said her face was unharmed. They said her chest, abdomen and arms had been burned.

Khalida Bibi, an aunt of the woman, told police that she was at the house when Alam took the baby and attacked his wife.

She said he had taken the child as soon as it was born. She said she was not sure if the child was alive or not. “It wasn’t crying,” she said.

Jahanian SHO Asim Shaheen said the police were looking for Alam and the midwife. He said rescuers had been asked to look for the baby in the canal.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd, 2013.