A Pakistani woman has been arrested on murder charges after an attempt to poison her husband resulted in the deaths of 17 additional family members.
Aasia Bibi, 21, was forcibly married to a man of her parents’ choosing in September. Despite pleading multiple times not to go through with the arrangement, and even attempting to run away, her parents refused to allow a divorce. It was then that Bibi and her boyfriend, Shahid Lashari, allegedly turned to more drastic measures.
According to local police chief Sohail Habib Tajak, Lashari provided Bibi with a “poisonous substance,” which she mixed into a glass of milk and served to her husband. However, the plan went awry when, instead of being ingested by her husband, Bibi’s mother-in-law inadvertently used the poisoned milk to create lassi, a traditional yogurt-based drink. When the tainted substance was served to 27 family members, they all fell unconscious and were hospitalized. At the time of publishing, 17 of the victims lost their lives, along with Bibi’s husband. Both Bibi and Lashari have since been apprehended and questioned extensively. They appeared before a judge on Tuesday, October 31.
This fatal incident has garnered much attention online, particularly due to the controversial nature of the crime. While some have expressed horror at the gratuitous casualties (which included one young girl), others have argued that Bibi was within her rights to protect herself against a forced marriage.
As details of the case continue to unfold, one thing is certain: the radical actions of one woman have shed light on the social battles that women around the world continue to face each day.