November 05, 2008	Wednesday	Ziqa'ad 6, 1429

KARACHI, Nov 4: An 18-year-old girl, who attempted to commit suicide in protest against the prolonged detention of her parents in India, died on Tuesday, police and hospital sources said.

The police said Saba, daughter of Mohammed Hussain, consumed poison on Nov 1 at her PIB Colony house. She was shifted to the Civil Hospital where she died.

The area SHO, Inspector Sajjad ul Hassan, told Dawn that the victim’s parents had gone to India eight months ago to visit their relatives in Jodhpur. “They were detained by the Indian authorities as they had overstayed their visa for two days,” he said quoting the victim’s family.

The police officer said that the victim’s father, a rent-a-car dealer in Mehmoodabad, had eight children, all daughters, two of them married, and the victim was fourth among the sisters.

He said that the relatives of the visiting couple in India informed their family here that they were making efforts for the release of the victim’s parents. “However, they could not manage to get the couple, who were arrested in May, released,” he added.

Quoting family members, the SHO said that the victim girl, an intermediate student, was found unconscious in her house in the evening of Nov 1. “It could not be ascertained what she had consumed to kill herself,” he added.

The SHO said that the sons-in-law of the detained couple were handed over the victim’s body after medico-legal proceedings.

Sources said that around 68 Pakistanis, arrested for overstaying their visas in India, were languishing in jails there.