Men set minor girls set on fire over marriage dispute
Police on Thursday, January 7, nabbed three men for setting four girls on fire in their residence in the Lesharwali area of Muzaffargarh over a marriage dispute concerning the victims’ father, Hafiz Abdul Hameed. Two minor sisters, one of whom was just two years old, died on the spot while the surviving girls were shifted to a district headquarters (DHQ) hospital.
According to reports, Hameed had taken on prime suspect Fida’s daughter as his second wife some months back. However, the marriage was annulled on the orders of a panchayat, for which Fida held a grudge. On Thursday, the prime accused along with two accomplices broke into Hameed’s home while the family was fast asleep, and held the parents hostage as they poured gasoline over their children and set them afire. The couple was also beaten when they cried out to their neighbours for help.
An FIR has been registered against the culprits under Pakistan Penal Code sections 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 324 (attempt to commit intentional murder), 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house), and section 7 of the Anti-terrorism Act (ATA).
Man rapes 10 year old sister-in-law
A 38-year-old man of the Parang area of Charsadda district was arrested for raping his ten-year-old sister-in-law on January 4. According to the girl’s mother, accused Saleem is husband to her eldest daughter for four years, and was visiting their home when he took his minor sister-in-law along with him. Two days later when the girl’s health suddenly deteriorated, she revealed upon inquiry that the accused had taken her to his home and raped her there.
Saleem has been arrested and is due to appear in court while the rape survivor has been sent for a medico-legal examination to establish sexual assault.
KP zakat dowry fund raised to Rs. 100,000
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has directed the Zakat and Social Welfare Department to increase its dowry fund for needy girls from Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 100,000. He further ordered setting up a separate fund to provide free medication and treatment to the deserving needy registered with the government’s Sehat Insaf program.