Pakistani Woman Allegedly Threw Acid On Man Who Refused To Marry

A Pakistani woman has been arrested and charged for allegedly throwing acid on her boyfriend after he refused to marry her, officials say.

In a rare case of a woman attacking a man, Punjab police said they arrested Momil Mai, a married mother of four in Multan who was in a relationship with Saddaqat Ali, who was also married.

Mai was demanding that Ali make her his second wife, officials said on June 17. Polygamy is legal for men in Pakistan, though a woman would have to divorce before being allowed to marry again.

The acid attack occurred on June 15. Ashiq Malik, medical superintendent at the government hospital in Multan where Ali is being treated, told AFP that he received burns on around 60 percent of his body.

Acid attacks disfigure and often blind the victims, which are nearly always women in Pakistan, where hundreds of such attacks occur each year to settle personal scores.

Based on reporting by AFP and dpa