ABBOTABAD: A girl, who was hospitalised in critical condition after suffering brutal violence at the hands of her stepmother, died at Ayub Teaching Hospital (ATH), Abbottabad in the early hours of Sunday. She was buried in her ancestral graveyard in Khwajgan village at 10am but her father failed to turn up at the funeral, family members and the police told The Express Tribune.
According to doctors at the surgical ward of ATH, seven-year-old Quratul Ain, a resident of Khwajgan village in Mansehra, was brought to the facility on September 12. Since the girl’s body bore severe torture marks, she was admitted to the hospital.
Although the doctors said her condition was incurable due to her septic needle prick wounds, they shifted her to the Intensive Care Unit and treated her till Saturday morning when her condition improved. Surgical Ward Trainee Medical Officer Dr Sarfraz said it was impossible to operate on Quratul Ain as her wounds had become septic and the needles damaged her vital organs.
However, Dr Junaid, another TMO, said her condition deteriorated once again at around 9pm on Saturday night and she was shifted to ICU. However, she could not survive and died at around 3:30am. He added that an autopsy was conducted. According to initial reports, her death was the direct outcome of damage caused to her vital organs due to the presence of needles.
During the initial investigation, Muhammad Umar, the girl’s grandfather, told the police her mother died a few years back, after which her father Muhammad Asghar married for a second time.
He married Fatima, a resident of Hatiyan village in Attock district. As Asghar was working for MES Attock, he called his daughter to live with him in Hatiyan village where, according to her grandfather, Fatima used to treat her violently. Umar said Fatima used to beat Quratul Ain over petty issues.
However, according to the complainant and Abbottabad police, on September 10, Fatima not only thrashed Quratul Ain over unknown reasons, but also pricked her with hot needles. The complainant said the needles penetrated her body and were left in, around the spinal cord.
Moreover, Fatima also pulled Quratul Ain’s hair out with a pair of pliers.
While speaking to journalists after funeral prayers, Umar demanded accused Fatima’s early arrest and severe punishment for murdering the girl. Meanwhile, Sub-inspector Babar Khan of ATH police post told The Express Tribune he had conveyed a message to the police officials in Attock district to register an FIR against Fatima.
Rights organisations have condemned the incident. They have demanded a judicial enquiry and the registration of murder case against the girl’s stepmother and father.
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