A Christian woman set on fire

MULTAN: On 23 October, a young Christian woman Sonia Bibi, 20 years old, was recovering in hospital after she was burned over nearly half her body by a Muslim man she had refused to marry.

Sonia Bibi recorded her statement to police from her hospital bed that her former lover Latif Ahmed set the girl on fire after she turned down his marriage proposal. The incident took place in a remote Basti Malook area of Multan district in central Punjab province, and police have arrested and filed a criminal case against Ahmed after recording the statement of the victim against him in the presence of her parents.

Now reportedly police claimed that the girl was burnt as a result of her suicide attempt, which she tried when her parents refused to let her marry according to her own free will but the police claim is without any proof. The police deliberately are trying to change the direction of the case because they want to save culprit from punishment and this is usual due to unjust and corrupt police system which commonly under undue influence of oppressive powers.

 “Burning of women with petrol, acid, or any other fire catching substance found easily and cheaply across Pakistan has been used as a weapon to exact revenge in domestic violence or used to settle personal or family scores with hundreds of cases.  The victims are often left with no legal recourse and suffer severe psychological trauma as well facing social stigma which comes with disfigurement and mostly victims are poor or minority women ", said Sardar Mushtaq Gill, Human Rights Defender.