GUJRAT: Three University of Gujrat (UoG) students, including two sisters, suffered burns in an acid attack when they were waiting for the varsity transport at the bus stop of Channan village in the precincts of Dinga police, Kharian Tehsil, on Thursday.

According to police sources, the main suspect is an official of Islamabad police and maternal uncle of the sisters injured in the attack, whereas his two accomplices are Capital Development Authority (CDA) staffers.

One of the suspects was caught by passersby immediately after the attack when he was trying to flee. He was later handed over to police.

The two others managed to escape. The police are conducting raids to arrest them.

Uncle of two of the victims blamed

According to police, Saira Umer Draz, her sister Asiya Umer Draz and their friend Huma Yousaf, all students of the UoG, were awaiting varsity transport at the village’s bus stop in the morning, when Abdul Qadeer, maternal uncle of the two sisters, along with his two accomplices Danish of Islamabad and Hassam Awais of Mianwali arrived there on a motorbike and threw acid, they were carrying in a bottle, on the girls.

As a result, Saira suffered severe burns on her upper torso, whereas her sister Asiya and their friend sustained acid burns mostly on their arms. The injured girls were shifted to the Burns Centre of the Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital (ABSTH) where, according to doctors, they were out of danger and were being given treatment.

Police said in the light of initial inquiry that the prime suspect wanted to marry his son with his niece Saira, but her parents rejected the proposal, which might have annoyed him, resulting in the attack.

However, Saira’s father told the police that his family had “a dispute” with the main suspect.

Police have registered a case against three nominated suspects under sections 336-B and 324 of Pakistan Penal Code on the report of Umer Draz, the father of two injured sisters, and started investigation.

This has been a third major incident of acid throwing in Gujrat district during the past two months as earlier in March last a woman had been injured in an acid attack by her close kin at her house in Civil Lines police precincts whereas a 60-year-old man had come under an acid attack by some unidentified suspects in Alipura Road locality of the city.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and the inspector general of Punjab police have also sought a detailed report of the incident from the Gujrat DPO and ordered arrest of the suspects within 24 hours.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2018