Jobless commits self-immolation

ISLAMABAD - Another man died on Monday after he set himself on fire in front of Parliament House. Reportedly, it was the fifth case of its kind during this year. Before embarking upon his attempted suicide in front of the Parliament House in the federal capital, one Raja Khan, a resident of a rural town of Naushero Feroz, Sindh province, attached a letter addressed to the President and Prime Minister to a nearby bench. Earlier, he sent copies of the letter by post to the President House and Prime Minister Secretariat, said the sources. The man set himself on fire after pouring a bottle of petrol over himself in front of the Parliament House. He was rushed to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The reason behind his act of suicide was dire financial problems. The jobless father of two was rushed to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences amid serious burn injuries, where he succumbed to wounds, leaving his little kids and other members of his family in a state of pain and uncertainty. "I am committing suicide following acute financial crisis which my family is confronting," police officials on duty quoted him as saying before setting himself on fire. Prosecutors are looking into the attempted case of self-immolation, while his relatives and activists of human rights organisation rushed to the hospital to visit him. However, he succumbed to his injuries at burn center of PIMS. No one from the Presidency, PM House or Parliament bothered to take notice of this act of a father of two little kids. The contents of the letter, according to the sources, show that the man was jobless and was finding difficulty in meeting the both ends. In writing to President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, the man wrote: "You are custodians of a party which promised 'bread, cloth and roof' for the poor of Pakistan. However, you did not meet the promise as hundreds and thousands of people like me are finding it hard to feed their kids. For God's sake save my kids from falling prey to hunger. If something happened to those little angles, I will never forgive you on the Day of Judgement." It was fifth case of the same kind at the same place this year. Over many years, self-immolation has sadly become a well-known suicide method adopted by the both women and men (particularly the married having kids) facing domestic difficulties in Pakistan. Opposition parties have badly criticised the government over bad economy and increasing rate of unemployment in country. "The state has no desire to tackle the problems facing ordinary people who resort to extreme measures out of a sense of hopelessness," Ch Nisar, Opposition Leader in the Natinal Assembly, said.

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