An office boy, working in Pakistan Today, is said to be in critical condition after 90 percent of his body was burned when, on his way home, he was set on fire by unidentified persons near his native village Juster near Abbottabad on June 11. Yasir Hussain told police that two people held him near Cheak area around 4 pm. He said one of them poured kerosene oil on him while his accomplice set him on fire.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Yasir said that after his desperate calls for help, three people including Nawaz, Azhar and Ghulam Khan came to his rescue and extinguished the fire. The victim accused one Mohammed Aslam for his involvement in the attack citing a recent row with him over a ‘trivial’ matter. Nawaz, one of the rescuers, told Pakistan Today that when he, along with two brothers of the victim, came to Yasir’s help, attackers fled from the scene and when one of them chased them, he saw them entering the house of Aslam whom the victim also accused of attack. The local police registered an FIR and arrested Muhammed Aslam.
The doctors at POF Hospital, where Yasir is being treated, have little hope for his survival. They said that the victim had severe burn wounds on more than 90 percent of his body and chances of his survival were remote. Karam Dad, father of the victim Yasir, told Pakistan Today that police were using delaying tactics to arrest main culprits. He said that the culprits attacked his son over a dispute involving Yasir’s engagement with Aslam’s daughter and this conflict led to the attack on his son.
He appealed to the chief justice of and prime minister to take notice of the incident and provide them justice. He also sought government’s assistance for treatment of his ailing son. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Main Raza, when contacted, said that police had arrested the suspect and produced him before the court. “The court has sent him to jail on judicial remand and justice will take its course,” he added.
