Islamabad, Nov 29 (IANS) A Pakistani woman’s nose was cut off and her head tonsured by her in-laws who then locked her up for three days because they suspected her of having an affair with a neighbour, police said.
The incident took place in Gujranwala in Punjab province.
Aasiya Bibi’s brother-in-law Anwar, his wife Kalsoom and sons Waqas and Awais caught hold of her and cut off her nose and shaved off her head, alleging that she had an illicit relationship with a local man.
‘Aasiya has been living with her in-laws for over seven years and her husband works in Multan, so he rarely manages to visit,’ Express Tribune quoted Aasiya’s neighbour Nida as saying.
Nida said that Aasiya’s in-laws were often cruel to her.
Police said that the family locked up Aasiya in a room where she lay for three days after the incident, till a police team released her after being tipped-off.
Aasiya told the police: ‘I had been beaten and they didn’t give me proper food. They locked me up and I was still bleeding.’
Police officials said that when they found Aasiya she was in a terrible state and was promptly taken to a hospital where her wounds were stitched up. Doctors said that she narrowly managed to avoid an infection.
‘We were surprised that her open wounds hadn’t got infected even thought they weren’t treated for three days,’ medical superintendent Azam Skeikh was quoted as saying.
‘She is currently receiving treatment but we expect her to make a full recovery,’ he added.
Aasiya’s in-laws were unrepentant.
Her brother-in-law Anwar said: ‘She was having illicit relations with a neighbour. We caught her and this was her punishment. She deserved what happened to her…I should have killed her on the spot.’
