SAHIWAL: The death of a 43-year-old widow at Chak 70/4-R has taken a new turn as police investigation suggests she had died by suicide on discovering alleged affair of a man with her cousin.

It said the incident was not a murder over unpaid agricultural lease payment between her and the main suspect in the first information report (FIR).

The deceased, Jannat Bibi, widow of a police constable and mother of six, was initially reported to have been set ablaze by her land contractor, Haq Nawaz, following a dispute over the lease money on Nov 14.

Based on the complaint filed by her son, Umer Farooq, Noor Shah Police registered a case against Haq Nawaz, his brother Umer Daraz, and Husna Bibi, a cousin of Jannat under PPC 336-B (culpable homicide).

However, preliminary police findings now indicate that it was unlikely that the incident was linked to a financial dispute.

The found that Jannat, a mother of four sons and two daughters, was allegedly having a relationship with Haq Nawaz.

District Police Officer Usman Tipu suspects that Jannat might have discovered that Haq Nawaz was also involved with her cousin, Husna.

This revelation led her to confront Nawaz in a fit of rage at his residence in the same village. On the night of the incident, Jannat Bibi visited Nawaz’s residence along with a petrol bottle in her hand.

The FIR alleged that the suspect’s brother Umer Daraz and Husna were also present there; however, the probe said there was none other there but Nawaz and Jannat.

The investigators believe that an argument ensued, after which Jannat doused herself with petrol and gave herself fire.

SHO Irfan Rasool confirmed Nawaz’ hand was also burnt while saving Jannat when she herself ablaze. She sustained critical burns and was rushed to the Sahiwal Teaching Hospital before being referred to Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, where she succumbed to her injuries after 18 hours.

The DPO said Nawaz had been taken into custody and was currently under interrogation. Claiming that Jannat had sent herself on fire, he said the police were still investigating to confirm whether it was murder or suicide.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2025