Man opts for ‘suicide’ after kin takes away pet mare in Sahiwal

SAHIWAL: A shepherd named Mukhtar, 45, died by suicide after a dispute over his pet mare was settled in his relatives' favor. Mukhtar, who tended to cattle in nearby fields, had a strong emotional bond with the mare. Despite his reluctance to part with the animal, his parents handed it over to his paternal relatives after they pressured them.

Distraught by the incident, Mukhtar climbed an electricity pole and touched live wires, receiving a fatal electric shock. Police arrived at the scene and attempted to remove his body to the hospital for a post-mortem, but the family and relatives protested against the autopsy under Section 174 of the PPC. The family later blocked a police vehicle at Mall Mandi Chowk, reopening the road after assurances that judicial permission would be sought to waive the autopsy.

The court denied their request on Wednesday, and police conducted the autopsy at DHQ Hospital, returning the body to the family. In a separate incident, a class-VII student named Aqsa Noor was allegedly shot dead in the name of "honour" while sleeping. Nazar Muhammad, her uncle, along with two accomplices, allegedly suspected her character and killed her.

Police registered a case but none of the suspects have been arrested, and a possible motive is the dispute over her father's hereditary land. Another incident involved Shaheena, a woman in village 39/14-L, who was allegedly tortured to death by her husband, brother-in-law, and mother-in-law. Shaheena was not allowed to visit her ill mother, leading to a dispute with her in-laws that escalated, resulting in severe torture and her death. Kassowal police arrested her husband and brother-in-law.