Two married sisters, distressed over domestic violence, attempted suicide by jumping into the River Indus at Taunsa Barrage after throwing in a six-month-old baby.
One of the women was rescued alive by local fishermen, while the other sister and the infant drowned.
According to details, the incident took place at Gate 12 of Taunsa Barrage where Samina Kanwal (22), wife of Muhammad Naeem, and her sister Samira Kanwal (30), wife of Muhammad Ashraf Klasra, jumped into the river along with Samina’s infant daughter Urooj.
Fishermen managed to pull Samira out alive, but Samina and her six-month-old baby were swept away by strong currents.
Rescue 1122 and police teams launched a search operation, which remains ongoing.
Eyewitness accounts and CCTV footage confirmed that both women jumped intentionally.
The women’s brother, Mureed Hussain Bhutta, released a video statement on social media accusing the sisters’ husbands and in-laws of prolonged domestic abuse.
He claimed Samira’s husband, Ashraf Klasra, subjected her to violence over a land dispute, while Samina faced mistreatment from her father-in-law, Abu Bakar.
He further alleged that police at City Kot Addu Station coerced a reconciliation by forcing the sisters to sign a settlement on plain paper.
“The police and our sisters’ abusive marriages left them hopeless,” Mureed said. “They were driven to this extreme act.”
SHO Sajid Hussain confirmed that Samira had disputes with her husband, with both parties having filed complaints against each other, while Samina was also allegedly troubled by her husband and in-laws.
He rejected claims of forced reconciliation, saying Samira’s father was present during the settlement and no coercion took place.
