A Christian woman in Pakistan has died from burn injuries that she suffered after a Muslim man doused her with acid and set her on fire for rejecting his marriage proposal.
Asma Yacoob, 25, died at the Mayo Hospital in Lahore on Sunday, 11 days after she was attacked by Rizwan Gujjar, who was a friend of her brother.
According to the British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA), 30-year-old Gujjar set up a meeting with Yacoob at the gate of her workplace by pretending to be her brother. When Yacoob came to the gate, Gujjar doused her with flammable acid, set her on fire and fled from the scene.
Yacoob, who works as a beautician at a bridal saloon, was immediately taken to the nearby Civil Hospital, but was later transferred to Mayo Hospital where she passed away after 11 days.
Gujjar was reportedly arrested the day after the attack. Civil Lines Police Sub-Inspector Muhammad Riaz said that he confessed to the crime and has been placed to jail.
The victim's father, Yaqoob Masih, noted that her daughter told the family at the civil hospital that Gujjar had been asking her to marry him for sometime, but she had refused because she did not want to convert to Islam.
Pakistani Christian groups have expressed grief over the incident. "It is so traumatizing to hear that she has passed as we all had hope she would win her fight for life," said BPCA Officer Mehwish Bhatti, who heard about Yacoob's passing when she contacted the family to schedule a prayer visit.
"Asma's family were persistent in getting her the best treatment they could find, and travelled hundreds of miles to a hospital equipped with a burn unit. They did everything they could possibly do. This family will have a lot of trauma to work through and they are in shock. It is hard for anyone to see the life of a loved one so young and full of talent snuffed out," Bhatti continued.
Nasir Saeed, director of the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS-UK), lamented that Yacoob's case is just one example of how Christian girls are treated in Pakistan.
"They are often harassed and intimidated at their workplace. They are often asked to convert to Islam and to marry Muslim colleagues," Saeed said, according to The Global Dispatch. He added that the girls often face dire consequences if they refuse the advances of Muslim men.
He called on authorities to take the matter seriously and help the family get justice for Yacoob.
The BPCA had raised money for Yacoob's extended care and recovery, but the donations will now be used to cover the funeral costs as well as the remaining hospital bills.
