A man set a woman on fire near Walton Road, Lahore, after she turned down his marriage proposal, injuring her and himself in the process.
The accused was harassing the woman as she took her four-year-old son to enroll him in a madrassa. When she reached a street near her house, he stopped her and began harassing her.
She reacted loudly, after which he threw an inflammable substance on her and set her ablaze, burning her face, hair and other parts of her body. The fire also spread to the man, leaving him with burns. Both the victim and the perpetrator were shifted to Jinnah Hospital for treatment.
Chairperson of the Punjab Women Protection Authority, Hina Parvez Butt, reached the hospital and met the victim to check on her condition, assuring her that she would get justice.
She also took a briefing from the Medical Superintendent (MS), doctors and hospital staff on the treatment being provided to the victim and directed them to ensure the best possible medical care, adding that no negligence would be tolerated. A case has been registered at Factory Area police station in connection with the incident.
Butt shared that the accused had already been married twice before and both his wives had left him and gone back to their parental homes over disputes. Following this, he began a friendship with a neighbour, a mother of 3 children and pushed her to take khula from her husband so he could marry her. His demand was rejected, after which he lost his temper and set her on fire.
She noted that harassing, pressuring or forcing women into marriage counts as an unforgivable crime and referred to Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s stance that women are a red line and that those who commit violence against them will not be spared.
Butt added that strict legal action against the accused would be ensured and that the Punjab Women Protection Authority would extend legal, medical and all other possible support to the victim, stating that those involved in violence or harassment against women would not be let off in any way.
