ABBOTTABAD: A girl died at Ayub Teaching Hospital here on Sunday morning due to an infection, which was caused to her body after her stepmother inserted 20 sewing needles in her abdomen and arms in Hazro area of Attock during Eid days.

The girl, 6, was shifted to Ayub Teaching Hospital Abbottabad by her uncle and grandfather in critical condition.

According to deputy medical superintendent Dr Fazal Manan, due to infection in her whole body the patient was not in a position to be operated upon to remove sewing needles from her body. He said she was put on a ventilator with multiple medication problems and tried their best to save her life, but she could not survive.

The girl, a resident of Khawajgan locality in Mansehra, was with her father who works in Hazro. But, her stepmother beat up the girl and inserted sewing needles in her abdomen and arms.

The victim’s mother was divorced a few years back, and the girl was looked after by her uncle and grandfather. Four months back she was taken away by his father and her stepmother to Hazro. Abbottabad police have sent a request to the Attock police for arrest of the accused woman and her father. However, the latter denied receiving the request.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2016