FAISALABAD: A man, suffering from a protracted illness, shot himself dead on Sunday.
Rajana police station house officer told media persons that the man, a farmer in Chak 150-GB, was the sole breadwinner for a family of seven. He said that the man had been suffering from a chronic illness. His treatment had led his family to the verge of bankruptcy, he said. He shot himself in the head below his ear on Sunday, the station house officer said. Muhammad Nadeem, a cousin of the man, told media persons that his cousin had five children. He had been battling various illnesses for the last six years and his treatment had cost a lot of money. Nadeem said that he had visited several specialists for treatment but his condition only kept getting worse. He said that his cousin had taken several loans in the process and was under a lot of debt. “Loan sharks and other people who lent him money had been demanding their money back. My cousin killed himself over this. His kids were near starvation and he was under several financial constraints.” After completing legal formalities, the police handed over the body to his family for burial.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 14th, 2014.