KARACHI — July 25, 2025
In one of the most harrowing cases of domestic sexual violence in recent memory, a 19-year-old woman from Lyari lost her life on Wednesday after spending nearly three weeks in a coma—allegedly due to repeated sexual assault and physical torture at the hands of her husband.
Her husband, identified as Ashok, has confessed to the crime in a statement recorded before a judicial magistrate under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code. He has since been sent to jail on judicial remand.
According to police, the young woman was married on June 15. Merely two days into her marriage, she was subjected to violent sexual abuse, including sodomy and an alleged assault with a metal pipe. The internal injuries were so severe that her condition quickly deteriorated. She was first taken to a private hospital and later shifted to the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Trauma Centre, where she succumbed to her injuries after 20 days in a coma.
A police surgeon, who examined the victim during her hospitalisation, confirmed that the medical findings were consistent with sexual violence. “There were unmistakable signs of trauma,” she stated. “This wasn’t a case of isolated injury—this was sustained abuse.”
The initial FIR, registered on July 5 by the victim’s brother at Baghdadi Police Station, included charges under Section 324 (attempted murder) and Section 376-B (rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code. Following her death, investigators have announced their intention to upgrade the charges to include Section 302 (murder).
The complainant told police that the victim had confided in her family about what she endured in her brief marriage—graphic details of repeated unnatural acts, the use of foreign objects to inflict pain, and constant threats from her husband to remain silent.
This latest case has sent shockwaves through Karachi’s tightly knit Lyari community and sparked renewed calls for stronger enforcement of Pakistan’s existing anti-rape legislation. Despite the laws prescribing harsh penalties—including the death sentence or long-term imprisonment—cases like this continue to emerge with disturbing frequency.
Another Tragedy in Orangi Town: Mother of Seven Slain
In a separate case reported just a day later, a woman was found brutally murdered inside her home in Orangi Town. The victim, identified as Malikiyat Bibi, a mother to seven children, was reportedly attacked while she slept.
According to Pirabad police, her husband Shoaib is the prime suspect. Investigators believe he struck her with a brick on the head and then slit her throat with a sharp object before fleeing the scene. The motive remains unclear, but officers have confirmed a history of domestic disputes in the household.
These back-to-back incidents have stirred outrage on social media and among women’s rights advocates, who say the silence around domestic and marital violence continues to cost women their lives. In many cases, survivors are either shamed into silence or are denied the institutional support they need to escape abuse.
“The legal system exists—but what’s missing is swift and consistent enforcement,” said a representative from a local women’s shelter. “Until then, these aren’t isolated incidents. These are part of a much deeper, much darker pattern.”
As investigations into both cases continue, the question remains: How many more women must suffer behind closed doors before society, law enforcement, and policy makers treat marital and domestic violence not as private shame—but as public emergency?
