Heinous crime: Man burns wife, daughter after row

Shakila, 38, died on spot while Ayesha, 3, is in critical condition.

MULTAN: A man allegedly burnt his wife and three-year-old daughter late on Tuesday near Lodhran. Shakila, 38, later died, while Ayesha, her daughter, is in critical condition.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Nasrullah, the father of the deceased, said that Abbas Chachar, Shakila’s husband, used to beat her up. “Chachar believed that she had developed illicit relations with someone.

She was living with us for sometime. On Tuesday, Chachar came to our house and requested her to return with him. She went back with him along with Ayesha,” Nasrullah said.

Qureshiwala SHO Farhat Abbas Shah said that neighbours heard Shakila and her daughter screaming late on Tuesday night. “When they went to their home, they saw that both of them had been set on fire. Chachar escaped. The burn victims were taken to Lodhran DHQ hospital, where Shakila was pronounced dead on arrival. Ayesha was taken to Bahawal Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur,” he said.

The Lodhran DHQ hospital MS said that Shakila was dead when she was brought to the hospital. “Ayesha’s body had more than 70 per cent burns,” he said. Qureshiwala police arrested Chachar on Wednesday. Shah said that the accused had told them that Shakila had committed suicide.

“He has told police that Shakila poured kerosene oil on herself and her child after an argument with him and lighted the fire. Chachar claims he tried to save them,” Shah said. The SHO said that Chachar, too, had suffered burn wounds.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 16^th, 2015.