A man allegedly threw acid on his wife in Multan on Tuesday following an altercation over his second marriage, police said.

The woman was returning home after visiting the shrine of Sufi saint Hazrat Shah Rukn-i-Alam at Qila Kohna Qasim Bagh when her husband allegedly threw acid on her and fled the scene.

The woman suffered serious burn injuries on her arm and shoulder. She was shifted to Nishtar Hospital by rescue officials where she is said to be in a critical condition.

Police reached the site of the incident and collected evidence.

According to a police official, the victim's husband had contracted a second marriage two days ago and the couple had been quarrelling over the matter. Police are making efforts to arrest the suspect.

According to a World Health Organisation report, acid violence against women in Pakistan is increasing at an alarming rate, particularly in the southern part of Punjab. It says 450 gender-based acid violence incidents occur in the country every year and a majority of the cases remain untraced.

Acid violence in Pakistan came to global limelight after filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s documentary ‘Saving Face’ received an Oscar award in 2012.