Burning issue: Husband, in-laws attack woman with acid

The woman had argued with her mother-in-law over groceries before she was attacked

DASKA:

A woman was attacked with acid by her in laws on Thursday.

Daska police said 24-year-old Aisha Bibi, a mother of two girls, had married Muhammad Akhtar four years ago. They said the couple lived with Akhtar’s mother Farkhanda and sister Momina.

They said on Thursday morning, Bibi argued with Farkhanda over groceries.

They said after the argument, Bibi went to her room for a nap. They said her husband, mother-in-law and sister-in-law threw acid on her while she slept.

They said the trio fled when she began to scream for help. They said some neighbours reached the house and took the woman to Civil Hospital for treatment.

Doctors at the hospital said the woman’s breast and neck had been burnt and she would need multiple surgeries to fix the damage to her throat.

Police said they had registered a complaint against Akhtar, Farkhanda and Momina on the complaint of Bibi’s father.

They said the trio was still missing and the police were conducting raids to arrest them.

Estimates by the Human Rights Watch and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) cite the number of acid attack victims to be as high 400-750 per year.

The highest rate of acid attacks in the country in 2013 was in the Punjab where 56 percent of the nationwide attacks were recorded.

Over 65 per cent of the acid and burn victims are women and girls and 15 per cent are children.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 8^th, 2014.