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A Pakistani teenager who set herself on fire after police released a man accused of raping her has died in hospital.

Amina Bibi, 18, doused herself with petrol on Thursday outside a police station near the city of Muzaffargarh, in the country's Punjab province.

The teenager was taken to hospital but died on Friday.

Her brother said the decision to release the key suspect was too much for the young student.

“She was already depressed after going through the trauma but, after the release of the accused, she lost all hope of getting justice and set herself on fire,” said Ghulam Shabir.

He added: “I was with her on January 5 when five men kidnapped her at gunpoint and took her away. I couldn't do anything because they were armed.”

Police said charges were dropped because they could not find any evidence but now the case is being reopened and Pakistan's Supreme Court is demanding an explanation.

A new team of investigators will also look into the case, said a spokeswoman for the Punjab police chief.

"It seems it had not been properly investigated," said senior police officer Chaudhry Asghar.

"We have suspended the investigation officer."

Rape and other domestic and sexual assault are widespread in Pakistan but there are few prosecutions and women who come forward are often stigmatised.

"Amina's sacrifice has exposed the ordeals that rape victims in the country face when they try to bring their tormentors to justice," said the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

"It is common knowledge that only the courageous rape victims take the matter to the police or court."

Another Pakistani woman, Mukhtar Mai, became an famous women's rights campaigner after speaking out about her gang rape in 2002.

That attack had been ordered by a village council in retaliation for her 12-year-old brother's alleged affair with a woman from a higher-caste family.

Mai's case and her battle to eradicate such practices attracted international attention.