Muhammad Arshad appeared before the police on Wednesday and confessed that he had thrown acid on his wife, Shagufta, and their four children on July 1. Shagufta is a councillor. Arshad told police that a man named Mohammad Mudassar had instigated him against his wife and made him believe that she was involved in extra-marital relations with her fellow councillors.
| "They hold them council meetings nekkid, y'know, Muhammad?" |
Muddassar had also supplied Arshad with the acid that he threw on his wife and children. Police has granted Arshad a three-day physical remand to recover the bottle of acid. âShagufta Arshad is still in critical condition with burns on 60 percent of her body and a permanent loss of eyesight,â said Sarfraz Hussain Sindhu, DIG Bahawalpur.
| 60% burns? That's a lot of acid. How big a container is he retrieving? |
âHer children, Fareeha, a student of class eight and sons Waqas, Naqqash and Waqar are recovering in the burns unit.â He said that Civil Lines police had registered a case under section 334/5 PPC and were searching for the culprit.
| I thought he turned himself in? But then the cops let him out to get the bottle... Oh. I see. |
âMuhammad Arshad got angry at his wife when she went to her parentâs house even though he was fulfilling all her needs,â claimed Arshadâs brother, Bashir Ahmed. âHer husband gave her Rs 34,000, purchased an air-conditioned vehicle and even allowed her to set up a boutique.â Another lady councillor and Shaguftaâs friend, Zahida, told journalists that Shagufta and Muhammad Arshad had been happily married for the last 20 years ago and differences had risen recently after Shagufta was elected as the district councillor. Her husband suspected that her appointment was due to sexual relations with other councillors and the nazim, Zahida claimed. Also, Arshad lost his job during the time that Shagufta was elected, and was unable to provide for his family, she claimed. In order to meet financial needs, the family moved into Shaguftaâs brotherâs house and rented out their own house, she said. On July 1, Arshad went to see his wife and children at Shaguftaâs brothers house where his daughter, Fareeha, asked him for money. Arshad was reportedly angered by the demand and threw acid on his wife and children. He fled, leaving them in a critical condition. |