June 24, 2025
By Aitzaz Ibrahim
A man set his sister-in-law on fire, in the rural area of Sardar Pur in Punjab’s Khanewal district. The incident occurred after an argument between the two, said the police, specifying that there had been a verbal dispute.
The woman, Farhana, 29, who sustained severe burn injuries, was initially shifted to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Kabirwala, but was then due to the critical nature of the burns she was transferred to the Nishtar Hospital Burn Unit. According to the family, she remains in critical condition and is currently being treated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Police case
Meanwhile, a case has been registered at the Sarai Sidhu police station on the complaint of the victim’s brother. According to the First Information Report (FIR), the complainant received a phone call from his sister at around 4 PM on Friday, June 20. In the call, she informed him that her brother-in-law, Ramzan, had physically assaulted her. When the complainant reached his sister’s house, he found her lying on the ground with severe injuries on various parts of her body. As per the contents of the FIR, Ramzan allegedly poured petrol on his sister-in-law and set her on fire before fleeing the scene. The case has been filed under section 324 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which deals with attempted murder.
While speaking to Voicepk, the victim’s brother said that his Farhana’s husband is a rickshaw driver and was not at home at the time of the incident. He added that his sister had an argument with her brother-in-law Ramzan, after which he poured petrol on her and attempted to kill her. He said that his sister was in critical condition.
Investigation Officer Huzaifa Farhan of the Sarai Sidhu police station told Voicepk that police took prompt action and arrested the accused within 36 hours of receiving information about the incident. He further stated that the accused was a drug addict and the dispute took place after his sister-in-law tried to stop him from his drug abuse, which allegedly led to the incident. According to the officer, the accused is currently in jail on judicial remand, and further investigation is underway.
Spike in violence
Of late, Punjab has recorded the highest number of GBV cases, with a total of 26,753 registered cases. The province reported 225 honor killing cases, but only 2 convictions. For rape, Punjab had 4,641 cases, with a conviction rate of merely 0.4%. Kidnapping and abduction cases were alarmingly high at 20,720, yet only 16 convictions were made. Domestic violence cases stood at 1,167, with just 3 convictions.
Gender-based violence (GBV) trends in Pakistan overall remain highly concerning. According to the Sustainable Social Development Organization’s (SSDO) report “Mapping Gender‑Based Violence (GBV) in Pakistan 2024,” a total of 32,617 cases of GBV were reported nationwide in 2024. 5,339 incidents of rape, 24,439 incidents of kidnapping/abduction, 2238 incidents of domestic violence, and 547 cases of honor killing recorded in 2024. Despite these alarming figures, conviction rates remain critically low across all provinces. The national level conviction rate of rape stands at a mere 0.5%, while honor killings also see only 0.5% convictions. Kidnapping/abduction cases have an even lower conviction rate of 0.1%, and domestic violence cases, though higher, still only result in convictions 1.3% of the time.