A 45-year-old shepherd allegedly died by suicide after climbing an electricity pole and touching live wires following a dispute over the handover of his pet mare to relatives in Sahiwal, according to reports.
Mukhtar, who worked as a shepherd and grazed cattle in nearby fields, had reportedly raised the mare with affection and was reluctant to part with it.
His paternal relatives allegedly insisted on taking possession of the animal.
Reports said Mukhtar’s parents eventually handed the mare over to the relatives despite his opposition, leaving him distressed over the matter.
Police said Mukhtar subsequently climbed an electricity pole and touched live wires on Tuesday, suffering a fatal electric shock. He died at the scene.
Yusufwala police reached the location and attempted to shift the body to hospital for a post-mortem examination.
The family and other relatives opposed the examination and asked police to hand over the body after completing proceedings under Section 174 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), which covers police inquiries into certain deaths.
The dispute over the post-mortem later led to a protest at Mall Mandi Chowk, where family members and relatives allegedly intercepted a police vehicle with a tractor-trolley and blocked the road.
The road was reopened after protesters were assured that police would seek judicial permission to waive the examination.
On Wednesday, the family approached a judicial magistrate seeking an exemption from the post-mortem. The court rejected the request.
Police subsequently conducted the post-mortem at the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital before handing Mukhtar’s body over to his family.
