ISLAMABAD/MURREE: The woman who was allegedly set on fire by her employer for reportedly refusing to marry his son died at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences’ (Pims) burn centre on Wednesday.

The hospital’s media coordinator, Dr Waseem Khawaja, told Dawn that there was little chance of her surviving as she had sustained burns to 80pc of her body.

“Her brain, lungs, kidney, liver and heart failed because of complications from the burns. Very few patients survive such extensive burns,” he said.

The victim’s body was moved to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital for a postmortem. According to Dr Sohail Ahmed, who conducted the autopsy, samples have been sent to Lahore for DNA tests as well.

Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif has taken notice of the incident and sought a report in this regard as well. Talking to Dawn, the victim’s father said his daughter taught at the same school she had once studied at.

He claimed that “the son of the school’s principal wanted to marry my daughter and sent a proposal which I rejected because the suitor was already married and had two children.”

After fighting with his son over the matter, the school’s principal went to the victim’s house and finding her alone threw petrol on her and set her on fire, the victim’s father alleged.

DSP Murree Raza Khan told Dawn that the police have started investigating into the murder and that an FIR has been registered in which the school principal and five others have been nominated. He said the police are working on securing the arrests of those accused.

A large number of people gathered on the Murree-Kashmir Highway at Dewal to protest the killing.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2016