Girl from Murree set ablaze loses battle for life at PIMS

ISLAMABAD: A 19-year-old girl who was set ablaze for refusing a marriage proposal lost her battle with life on Wednesday at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Science.

Maria, a school teacher was brought to PIMS with 85 percent burn injuries on Tuesday, hospital officials confirmed.

Her family which originally hails from Murree said that five people locked Maria in a room, doused her in petrol and set her ablaze.

The family accused a person named Master Shaukat for committing the crime. Maria had earlier refused a marriage proposal by Master Shaukat’s son who already had a wife.

The devastated family has launched a protest outside PIMS. They claim that hospital authorities did not let them meet Maria while she was under treatment.

They have appealed to the Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to take notice of the incident. “We will not bury our daughter’s body till we get justice,” wailed a female family member.

This is not the first case of violence against women that has made headlines in recent months.

In May, the gutted body of a girl was found from a vehicle in Abbottabad. Police investigation into the case revealed that the 9th-grader was kidnapped from her house, sedated, murdered and then set on fire following a decision of a local Jirga.

In April a disabled 22-year old under treatment girl from Swat was allegedly raped by a male nurse on night duty at PIMS. The hospital brushed the incident for two days before launching an inquiry and suspending their staff member.