Maria Abbasi, eighteen years old, was attacked in her home on Sunday and later died from her injuries on Wednesday after refusing a marriage proposal.
The group of men first beat Abbasi then drenched her in petrol. After that, they set her on fire and left her to die. According to Abbasi’s father, the school owner was one of the men that attacked his daughter. The school owner’s son is the one that proposed for Abbasi to marry him.
Upon returning home Monday night, Abbasi’s family found her with 85% of her body covered in burns. The family struggled to get Abbasi to an ambulance because there is no direct road that runs through the village.
“We had to carry Maria on a chair to the closest road to get her to an ambulance,” said Rafaqat Abbasi,” Rafaqat Abbasi said, her uncle.
Once Abbasi was put on an ambulance, she was taken to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad. She received treatment about 50 kilometers, or 30 miles, away from her home.
Three out of the four men were arrested in connection with the 18-year-old’s death in Islamabad. The fourth man has a warrant out for his arrest. A three-member team from the Punjab police will be investigating the case.
This violent act is not out of the ordinary for the country. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, in 2015, police investigated 76 cases of women set on fire.
Featured Image via Pixabay
