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LAHORE: The widow of Muhammad
Faheem, one of the two civilians shot dead by a US
citizen Raymond Davis committed suicide after taking
poisonous pills on Sunday, fearing the American
would be released without trial, police and doctors
said.
Shumaila, the wife of
Faheem, took poisonous pills and was taken to
hospital in Faisalabad, local police chief Usman
Anwar said, where she died despite attempts to save
her.
"Faheem's wife
Shumaila has died," doctor Yasin Hashmi, head of
Allied Hospital, said.
"Doctors tried hard
to save her life but could not succeed and she died
a short while ago," he said.
Police officer Rana
Atif confirmed the death.
Her body will be
handed over to the family after a post mortem, he
said.
Emergency ward doctor
Ali Naqi said her condition had deteriorated in the
evening, confirming the suicide attempt.
He earlier quoted
Shumaila as saying that she feared Davis could be
released without trial.
Shumaila said that
she was upset over reports that efforts were being
made to secure his release.
"I was under shock and decided to
kill myself," she said. "We want blood for blood,"
she said.
Widow of man killed by Davis commits
suicide
The wife of one of two motorcyclists shot dead by a
US government employee last month committed suicide
on Sunday due to sheer frustration that she may not
get justice in view of the pressure being built to
get the American released.
The US consular employee, whom Pakistani police
identified as Raymond Davis, was arrested on January
27 after shooting dead Mohammad Faheem and Faizan
Haider, claiming he acted in self-defence fearing
the pair were about to rob him.
A third person was knocked down and killed by a
vehicle from the US consulate in Lahore that tried
to rescue Davis. The American was arrested by the
police and a case of double murder was registered
against him.
“Mohammad Faheem’s wife Shumaila on Sunday morning
took poisonous pills and she was taken to the Allied
Hospital” in Faisalabad city, local police chief
Usman Anwar told AFP. Hospital doctor Ali Naqi
confirmed the suicide attempt, describing her
condition is critical. “We are trying our best but
we cannot say anything so far,” Naqi told AFP.
He quoted Shumaila as saying that she feared Davis
could be released without trial.
Shumaila told a private TV channel that she was
upset over reports that efforts were being made to
secure his release. “I was under shock and decided
to kill myself,” she said. “We want blood for
blood,” she told the channel. Faheem’s brother
Mohammad Waseem told AFP that Shumaila, 18, was
plunged into a “severe depression” by her husband’s
death.
She took the pills before dawn and was rushed to the
hospital early Sunday, he said. Despite strenuous
efforts by the doctors, Shumaila’s life could not be
saved. Heavy contingents of police surrounded the
Allied Hospital and evacuated the ward whereas the
Elite Force was deployed near the main gate of the
hospital to avoid any untoward incident.
Earlier, after first aid, Shumaila Kanwal told media
persons at the hospital that she took poisonous
tablets that are normally used to keep wheat stored
at home protected from pests and insects which led
her condition to the worst.
Shumaila appealed to PML-N’s Quaid Nawaz Sharif and
Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif that justice
should be ensured and demanded punishment to Raymond
Davis. Fahim’s brother said they feared that
authorities were trying to protect Raymond Davis and
they would not get the justice. He too appealed to
high authorities and the government to act against
the assassin. |
