Ex-Pak dancing girl who was attacked with acid commits suicide

Rome, Thu, 29 Mar 2012 ANI

Rome (Italy), Mar.29 (ANI): Pakistani acid attack victim Fakhra Younus who had to endure over three dozen surgeries over a period of more than a decade to repair her severely damaged face and body, has committed suicide.

The 33-year-old former dancing girl, who was allegedly attacked by her then-husband, an ex-lawmaker and son of a political powerhouse, jumped from the sixth floor of a building in Rome, where she had been living and receiving treatment, Fox News reports.

Her March 17 suicide and the return of her body to Pakistan on Sunday reignited the furor over the case, which received significant international attention at the time of the attack.

Her death came less than a month after a Pakistani filmmaker won the country's first Oscar for a documentary about acid attack victims.

Younus' story highlights the horrible mistreatment many women face in Pakistan's conservative, male-dominated culture and is a reminder that the country's rich and powerful often appear to operate with impunity.

Younus' ex-husband, Bilal Khar, was eventually acquitted, but many believe he used his connections to escape the law's grip-a common occurrence in Pakistan.

Bilal Khar was the son of Ghulam Mustafa Khar, a former governor of Pakistan's Punjab province. He was married to Fakhra for three years. (ANI)