LARKANA: A mother of eight, whose husband had shaved off her head and eyebrows allegedly after finding unknown numbers saved in her cell phone, took shelter at the women`s police station here on Saturday.
Ms Ghulam Zohra, 45, of Luqman Mohalla, Khairpur, told journalists that her husband Abdul Sattar Maitlo, a peasant, was a drug addict who was in the habit of torturing her over petty domestic issues. He had twice divorced her verbally two months ago, she said.
She said that on Thursday when she along with her four-year-old son Rashid went to visit Waheed, Bashoo and Wali Mohammad, maternal cousins of her husband, in Shah Baharo Colony on the outskirts of Larkana, her husband followed her there and tried to strangle her to death. He spared her only when she beseeched him in the name of Holy Quran but a few minutes later he shaved off her head and eyebrows with the help of Bashoo and Wali Mohammad.
On Friday she went to her daughter Gulshan in Bero Chandio village, 12 kilometres from here but Sattar again chased her there, she said.
She spent the night at her daughter`s house in fear Sattar might kill her and left in the early morning leaving behind her son.
She reached Taluka police station Larkana and the police officials shifted her to women`s police station.
Larkana DPO Irfan Baloch has appointed DSP city Fida Husssain Chandio to look into the case.
The DSP said that police had rounded up Roshan and Mujahid, brothers of Sattar while Sattar and his son were at large. Police raided houses of Sattar`s maternal cousins in Shah Baharo Colony but did not find them there. “We are trying to arrest Sattar and take custody of his son,” said the DSP.
The DSP said that an FIR had been registered on a compliant lodged by Ms Ghulam Zohra against her husband Abdul Sattar, his cousins Waheed, Bashoo and Wali Mohammad at Haidri police station.
She has accused her husband of torturing her over petty issues and shaving off her head and eyebrows with the help of his maternal cousins.
Sources close to the family said that Sattar grew furious when he found many unknown numbers saved in his wife`s mobile phone. She tried to give an explanation for them but he was not satisfied, said the sources.
Meanwhile, MNA Faryal Talpur had asked the DIG and the DPO to provide legal aid and protection to the torture victim, said Ghulam Mustafa Leghari, coordinator of the MNA.
He said that he had given Rs20,000 to her on behalf of the MNA and she would also be provided legal assistance.
Sindh Minister for Women`s Development Ms Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto and Sharmilla Faroqui, adviser to Sindh chief minister on information, had also directed the two police officials to extend legal support and protection to the woman.
Source: Dawn
Date:1/2/2011
