LAHORE – Six persons of a family including two children were injured in an acid attack by a relative near a bus stop in Manawan on Wednesday, police said rescue workers said.
Thevictims were rushed to the burn unit of the Mayo hospital on ambulances in the afternoon. The condition of all the six injured persons was said to be stable. The attacker identified by police as Shafaat is said to be husband of one of the victims. Initial police investigation revealed that Shafaat attacked the family after his wife Nimra Shahzadi contacted a local court to get divorce. Nimra left her in-laws house four months ago over some dispute with her husband. A few weeks ago, the approached a local court to seek divorce from Shafaat.
A police official said the six family members riding on a motorcycle rickshaw were on their way home when a motorcyclist stopped them near bank-stop on GT Road in Manawan.
After a brief argument, Shafaat took out a bottle of acid and splashed his wife. The children and other family members of came under the attack. The criminal managed to escape from the scene soon after the incident.
A baby and a five-year-old girl Sher Bano were also injured in the acid attack . The other victims were identified as 18-year-old Nimra Shahzadi, 20-year-old Afshan Bibi, 40-year-old Raani Bibi, and 14-year-old Ghulam Murtaza.
The police later registered a criminal case against the attacker and launched the investigation with no arrest made yet.
Acid attacks on women by relatives are not rare in this provincial metropolis. In May, a young girl was injured when a masked man attacked her with acid in Lahore’s Green Town.
Maryam was coming back home from school when the motorcyclist threw acid on her and fled.
The federal government had introduced strict punishment for offenders involved in acid attacks a couple of years ago. But, it seemed women are still not safe. The latest attack comes as the new government pledges reform in the criminal justice system.
