MUZAFFARGARH: An eight-year-old Kulsoom was the latest victim of the poisoned Lassi incident in Alipur tehsil’s neighbourhood Lashari, taking the death toll 16.
Meanwhile, two victims of the incident Rab Nawaz and Muhammad Azam have been discharged from the hospital.
All 16 belong to the same family and died after allegedly being given poisoned Lassi to drink by the daughter-in-law, while eleven continue to be under medical supervision.
According to police reports, Aasia, 20, was accused of poisoning a container of milk that her husband, Amjad, was to consume.
The woman’s husband, however, did not consume the poisoned milk, which was later used to make lassi – a milk and yoghurt-based drink – that resulted in the death of over dozen family members.
Aasia, forcefully married to Amjad, had recently visited her parents but she was sent back to her husband’s house, after which, she allegedly attempted to poison her husband on October 24.
The woman had denied all of the allegations before the media. “Shahid [her alleged paramour] told me to poison the beverage but I didn’t do it,” she said. “He [Shahid] asked me to marry him but I refused.”
Incidents of poisoning are common in the conservative Punjab, where marrying out of choice remains an anomaly.