Man commits suicide after poisoning children over inability to afford Eid clothes

RAHIM YAR KHAN: In a most tragic incident, a labourer in Rahim Yar Khan allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison after his three children were unable to bear the pain of not getting Eid clothes, police said on Monday.

The incident took place in Sardar Garh Basti Haji Pir village of Ruknpur. The man, a tractor trolley driver, had been out of work for several days and was in deep distress. Police said he had poisoned his two disabled sons and a daughter before consuming them himself.

According to Sheikh Zayed Hospital, the father and two sons died while the daughter survived and is now in a stable condition where she is undergoing treatment.

A similar tragedy had earlier occurred in Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in February. There, a 42-year-old tailor named Saiful Islam allegedly killed his four children – including two minors – before ending his life.

Police said Saiful was struggling with family problems after his wife left him following a domestic dispute. She was living at her parents’ house, leaving the children behind. Despite his attempts at reconciliation and even sending her youngest child to her, she allegedly refused to return.

Faced with emotional and financial pressure, Saiful allegedly broke down and committed the horrific act. Rescue 1122 official Luqman Khan confirmed that the bodies have been shifted to Civil Hospital Yar Hussain for post-mortem.