February 8, 2025
By Iqra Manzoor
LAHORE
A gruesome incident took place in Harbanspura on February 5, during which a woman was attacked with acid. The area police have nabbed a young man.
Harbanspura Police said they had arrested the accused Shafiq, who is said to have been in a relationship with the acid attack survivor. He told the police that he had been ‘having an affair’ since the past two years and he had gone out with her to have a meal when on the way back, he threw acid on her. Police have not yet revealed the reason of the incident and say the case is still under investigation, especially a to confirm the identity of one more accused who has been in custody. The second accused was seen through CCTV.
The Investigating Officer Asif told Voicepk that the acid used in the attack was not in pure form (mostly used as a cleaning agent in households) which is why the victim was not very badly burnt even though the she has severe swelling on her face, however her skin was not affected as it would have if the acid had been pure. Currently the survivor is admitted at the Mayo Hospital and is still under observation. The woman’s family did not want to talk to the media about it.
The woman suffered burns on her face, hands and upper torso. A first information report (FIR) was registered on the complaint of the woman, while she was under first aid treatment at the Services Hospital. She was later shifted to Mayo.
Meanwhile the Punjab Women Protection Authority has issued a statement in this regard, especially since Hina Parvez Butt has been lobbying for the enactment of legislation against acid throwing.
Gul Hassan Abbas, board member of the Punjab Women Protection Authority said that PWPA has strongly condemned the acid attack on Sumera Bibi, a resident of Qalandar Pura, Lahore. PWPA said it had ensured the swift arrest of the perpetrator.
The PWPA has vowed to provide comprehensive legal and medical support to the victim and her family.
UNSAFE IN THE WORLD
The incident is yet one more in the many incidents of acid throwing that have happened in the recently past. Like all other incidents, it raises concerns over the safety of women in the city.
Despite an initial slump in the number of acid attacks following the passage of the Acid and Burn Crime Act in 2011, such incidents have risen again in recent years. Under this act, perpetrators can be sentenced between 14 years to life imprisonment, along with a fine of up to Rs. 1 million and not less than Rs. 500,000.
Misogyny is said to be one of the main reasons behind such attacks in Pakistan. The tentacles of patriarchy are strong and every year more than 200 such attacks, mainly against women, take place across the country. Women in Pakistan have fallen victim to acid attacks for various reasons, including rejecting unwanted marriage proposals, failing to produce male heirs, and not meeting dowry expectations.
Speaking to Voicepk, Bushra Khaliq, Executive Director of Women in Struggle for Empowerment (WISE) reflects on the situation.
“Acid attacks against women in Pakistan are a stark reflection of the country’s deep-rooted patriarchal mindset, which perpetuates a culture of desensitization and normalization of violence against women,” said Khaliq. According to Khaliq, Pakistan is one of the worst countries where women are vulnerable to attacks, with their lives at risk at any time, whether at home or on the roads. Mobility of women is one of the biggest factors that are exploited by perpetrators.
Comprehensive data on acid attacks is lacking. But the Punjab Police has compiled statistics, revealing a disturbingly high frequency of such incidents in the province, where it is also the most frequent.
| YEAR | REGISTERED CASES |
| 2013 | 69 |
| 2014 | 75 |
| 2015 | 58 |
| 2016 | 70 |
| 2017 | 52 |
| 2018 | 74 |
| 2019 | 70 |
| 2020 | 60 |
| 2021 | 50 |
| 2022 | 45 |
| 2023 | 70 |
| 2024 (till date) | 40 |
Enactment of Legislation
In 2012, Pakistan’s National Assembly took another significant step by transferring acid attack cases to anti-terrorism courts, which typically impose harsher penalties, yet acid-related violence continued to plague the country.
In response to the growing threat of acid attacks, Pakistan’s National Assembly enacted the Acid and Burn Crime Bill in 2014, introducing regulations to curb acid sales. This legislation led to a significant decline in acid attacks, with a 54.9% decrease reported in 2015, followed by an additional 51.91% drop in 2016, according to data compiled by the Acid Survivors Foundation in 2018.
Despite the government of Pakistan passing bills against such heinous crimes, the issue still persisted because of the accessibility of concentrated acid to the locals. People in Pakistan widely use acid and it is being sold to the general public for various purposes as a cleaning agent for toilets and clogged pipes. However, lack of regulation and monitoring has made it challenging to control the sale and use of acid, ultimately contributing to its misuse in violent attacks.
Despite strict laws against acid attacks, the issue persists due to inadequate implementation. Khaliq stresses, “Law is strict when it comes to the punishments of such crimes but the issue still prevails because of not properly implementing the law.”
Khaliq emphasizes that “Acid has been used as a weapon against women and such crimes often go unreported in rural areas.”
It’s worth noting that acid attacks disproportionately affect working-class women from middle-class backgrounds, who are often out in public, vulnerable to attacks without the protection of a male guardian. As the speaker observes, “And yes, the gender-based crimes are not class-based but acid attack crimes usually happen with the working women of middle class because they are often out there in the public places doing their work, buying groceries etc, they do not have any guards with them or a male figure to protect them. That is why mostly the working class women become the victims of acid attacks.”
These heinous crimes are not only a violation of human rights but also a threat to the state.
As Khaliq notes, “Acid attack are crimes against the state.”
Khawar Mumtaz, renowned women’s rights activist and former Chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women, condemns the persistence of acid attacks in Pakistan.
“Acid incidents still happen because of poor implementation of law and the fact that in most such cases, out-of-court settlements happen,” she said. “In Pakistan, being a patriarchal society, men usually get bailed out in such cases before even completing their punishment.”
Mumtaz emphasizes the devastating impact of acid attacks on women, saying, “An acid attack on a woman destroys her life in every way possible. Not just physical pain, but the psychological trauma is huge.” She stresses the need for improved psychological care facilities for acid attack survivors.
Mumtaz attributes the ongoing issue to poor monitoring of acid sales.
“The reason women in Pakistan still experience such incidents is because of the poor monitoring of the sales of Acid. Both the seller and the buyer should be held accountable and punished for selling and buying this product.”
Mumtaz notes a significant decrease in acid attack cases when the government began monitoring acid sales, advocating for stricter laws and implementation. “We need to be more strict with these laws and their implementation so that no woman in Pakistan has to go through this pain.”
In January 2025, the Acid Control Bill was tabled in the Punjab Assembly and referred to the special standing committee.
The Bill aims to curb acid attacks by increasing punishment and regulating acid sales. Traders will be required to obtain a permit from the Deputy Commissioner’s office, valid for two years, to sell and purchase acid. The District Government will oversee acid sales and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Additionally, people under 18 will be banned from buying and selling acid. Those selling acid illegally will face severe penalties, including business closure and fines ranging from 200,000 to 1,000,000, as well as punishment for non-compliance within 120 days.
To combat acid attacks in Punjab, the Chairperson of PWPA Hina Pervaiz Butt, has already proposed and submitted the Acid Control Bill, 2025, to the Punjab Assembly on January 22. The bill received unanimous support from both treasury and opposition members. It is now with the Special Standing Committee, where it is expected to be passed soon.