A newly married woman, allegedly set on fire by her in-laws, died of her burns at Nishtar Hospital in Multan on Monday morning, two days after the incident took place.
Fouzia, 28, a resident of Jatoi tehsil, had suffered 80 percent burns at her home under circumstances that remain disputed. Rescue 1122 and police shifted her to the hospital’s burns unit on Sunday afternoon, where she could not survive her injuries.
According to the FIR [First Information Report] registered by Jatoi police, Fouzia had gotten married four months ago and was living with her in-laws while her husband worked at a factory in Sialkot.
The FIR named three brothers-in-law- Niaz, Altaf and Fyaz- alleging that they doused her in petrol and set her on fire following a domestic dispute. Police said that they have arrested the suspects and launched an investigation.
However, a senior police official told a private media outlet that on condition of anonymity that initial investigations point to suicide, saying that Fouzia had sprinkled petrol on herself and set herself on fire over a domestic dispute.
The official added that the Rescue 1122 team that responded to the scene had also noted it as a case of attempted suicide.
Punjab Women Protection Authority chairperson Hina Parvaiz Butt took notice of the incident and sought a report from the Muzaffargarh District Police Officer (DPO), directing him to ensure a merit-based investigation and arrest those responsible. “Those involved in the incident did not deserve leniency and should be made an example,” she said.
