A masked man threw acid at a young woman at her residence in Punjab's Sialkot district on Tuesday, police told DawnNews.

According to initial reports, Muradpur Station House Officer (SHO) Usman Jawed said that a masked man had knocked on the door of the girl's house, saying that her mother had sent some milk for her.

When the door was opened, the attacker threw acid at the woman, the SHO said, adding that she had received burn injuries on parts of her face and hands. Three minor girls close by also received burn injuries, he said.

According to the statements of the affected girls, the attacker was carrying acid in a jug.

Rescue 1122 officials shifted the four affected siblings to Sialkot's Government Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital for medical treatment.

SHO Jawed told DawnNews that police had started an investigation into the incident.

Between 150 to 400 cases of acid attacks are reported in Pakistan every year. As many as 80 per cent of the victims are women, and almost 70pc are below 18.

Such attacks are not aimed at killing the victim but aim to cause disfigurement, and often cause blindness, hearing loss and physical and mental pain.

Statistics show that a common trigger behind these attacks is domestic disputes. Besides domestic disputes, motives behind these cases can include personal revenge, monetary and property disputes, rejection of marriage proposals, suspicions of illicit relations and freewill marriages.