Man poisons children, kills self after failing to afford Eid clothes

RAHIM YAR KHAN: In a heart-wrenching incident, a labourer in Rahim Yar Khan poisoned his three children before taking his own life after being unable to afford Eid clothes for them, the police said on Monday.

According to the police, the incident occurred in Sardar Garh Basti Haji Pir area of Rukanpur village. The man, who worked as a tractor trolley driver, had been unemployed and distressed for several days, the police said.

In a state of despair, they added, he gave poisonous pills to his two disabled sons and daughter, before ingesting them himself. The father and two children died, while the daughter is currently out of danger, Sheikh Zayed Hospital said in a statement, where the girl was under treatment.

This year in February, a similar tragedy unfolded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swabi district, wherein a man took his own life after allegedly slaughtering his four children, including two minors.

According to police, the suspect, 42-year-old Saiful Islam, worked as a tailor and had been facing domestic issues for some time. His wife had left him a few days earlier after a dispute, staying at her parents’ house while leaving their four children behind.

Struggling to care for his children, especially his two-year-old daughter, Saiful Islam made repeated attempts to reconcile with his wife, but she allegedly refused to return. In desperation, he sent the youngest child to his wife through a relative, but she was sent back.

Overwhelmed by his inability to provide for his children, he reportedly fell into deep distress, which ultimately led to the horrific act.Luqman Khan, an official from Rescue 1122, confirmed that the bodies were transported to Yar Hussain Civil Hospital for autopsy.