‘Tainted honour’: Teen tortured for alleged affair, father humiliated

MULTAN:

A twelfth grade student was tortured and beaten with an axe and shovel allegedly by two men who had suspected him of having an affair with their cousin. The assailants also humiliated the man’s father.

The injured was taken to a hospital, where doctors said that he was in a critical condition.

Lohari Gate police have registered an FIR with the boy’s father as the complainant. No one has been arrested yet.

Ghulam Mustafa, a school teacher and a resident of Munirabad, told police that Muhammad Saleem and Muhammad Waseem, both residents of Hussainagahi, had suspected that his son Muhammad Jameel had had an illicit relationship with their cousin.

He said his son had earlier got into an argument with Saleem and Waseem several times when they accused him of pursuing their cousin to ask her out.

On Saturday, Mustafa said, the two men visited his house and took Jameel with them saying they wanted to settle the dispute.

He said Jameel did not return. A few hours later, he said, they called him and asked him to take his son back.

He said they had locked him in the basement of their house. When he reached there, he discovered that Jameel was lying unconscious covered in blood. He said they had hit on his head with an axe and had cut him all over his body with blades.

He said when he tried to take his son, Waseem and Saleem told him to lick their feet and apologise for “his son’s mistake”. He said he did as he was told to save his son.

They finally let him take his son, but threatened to kill him if police were informed. Sarwar said he took his son to Nishtar Hospital, where doctors said he would likely survive.

He then informed the Lohari Gate police and filed a complaint.

Police said they were looking for the suspects.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2013.