The Heat of Summer and the Heat of Justice
In Quetta, June is a month that brings both scorching temperatures and a sense of urgency. As the summer sun beats down on the city, it also marks the end of the fiscal year for the government. Businesses are busy with their accounts, bureaucrats are buried in paperwork, and politicians are making their way to the Finance offices. Meanwhile, influential individuals are seen trying to secure a share of the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) funds. Together, these activities create an atmosphere that adds to the already high temperature of the city.
However, on June 5th, 2026, the city was engulfed by a different kind of heat—one that was far more sinister and deeply unsettling. A female doctor, who was a postgraduate trainee at the largest tertiary care hospital in the province, became the victim of an acid attack. The incident sent shockwaves through the community, leading to an outpouring of anger on social media and among civil society groups. Doctors were particularly enraged, as the victim had been attacked at her workplace.
The response from the government was swift. The victim immediately underwent emergency decontamination at Sandeman Provincial Hospital. The recently launched People’s Emergency Air Ambulance quickly transported the patient to Aga Khan University Hospital, on the same day, at the request of her family. The perpetrator was soon identified and reportedly killed in an encounter while attempting to flee to his native district. When government officials, including the Secretary Health and the Deputy Inspector General of Police, arrived at the hospital to brief the media and the public—including doctors—something unexpected occurred. A group of young doctors, amidst intense slogans, launched into a profane tirade against the Secretary Health for being responsible for the incident and the police for killing the perpetrator. Despite the tense environment, the Secretary remained calm and handled the situation with grace.
This incident raised many questions. Was this truly an attack on a profession, or was it related to deeper societal issues that allow such cases to occur with impunity? To understand this better, I turned to literature and found some startling facts. According to the Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI), nearly 80% of acid attack victims globally are women. However, cultural context plays a significant role. In countries like the United Kingdom, acid attacks are often gang-related, and the majority of victims are men. In South Asia, however, the overwhelming majority of victims are women, and acid is frequently used as a tool to enforce patriarchal control.
Understanding the Root Causes
Different theoretical frameworks attempt to explain acid attacks, but they all converge on similar themes. Patriarchy establishes men as the dominant gender and primary breadwinners, while expecting women to remain subordinate. In this context, acid becomes an instrument of terror used to enforce masculinity over femininity, especially when women challenge the status quo and pursue independence or personal autonomy through established careers. This is further complicated by the deeply entrenched belief within male-dominated societies that a woman’s body embodies the honor of the family, and any breach of it is considered a blasphemy. This narrative perpetuates the cycle of violence against women by discouraging them from seeking justice, which in turn does not deter future perpetrators from attacking innocent women.
Viewed through this lens, the Quetta incident should have been a galvanizing moment for civil society to unite in advocacy and meaningful discourse. Reforms and legislative changes should have been intensely deliberated at this moment rather than being diverted by a mere agenda of a union, leaving larger societal injustices unaddressed. Was Dr. Mahnoor targeted because she was a doctor, or because she was a woman? If a woman employed in one of the noblest professions, possessing education and financial independence, cannot be protected from gender-based violence, what hope remains for the millions of ordinary women devoid of education and financial empowerment across Pakistan?
The Path Forward
We must ask ourselves whether we will continue allowing this issue to be exploited for political mileage or come together to demand stricter regulation of acid sales and the establishment of special tribunals for the expeditious disposal of acid attack cases, as has been done in Bangladesh. We need to declare that no individual, regardless of gender, should easily access any means of exploitation or personal harm, including the purchase of acids without a justifiable reason and verifiable identification.
While the recent Supreme Court judgment has described acid attacks as crimes more heinous than murder due to the lifelong physical and psychological suffering endured by survivors, its directions for speedy trials, effective enforcement, and comprehensive rehabilitation of survivors provide a clear roadmap. The real test now lies in translating these directions into meaningful action. In the case of Dr. Mahnoor, justice must extend beyond the fate of the perpetrator; it must also ensure the effective implementation of these measures so that no future victim is forced to endure the same irreversible trauma.
