Zahid Usman

On the evening of February 7, at 6:15pm, a sudden commotion drew the attention of residents in the Afzalabad area of University Town, Peshawar. A crowd gathered in the main street, including a woman. The locals saw a distressing scene as the widow of Havaldar Khan, Rafat Bibi, emerged from her home with a petrol bottle in one hand and a chair in the other, accompanied by a child. She attempted to douse both herself and the child in petrol and set them on fire.

In the midst of this chaos, a neighbour intervened, trying to snatch the child away from Bibi and prevent her from igniting the flames. But she refused to listen and instead retreated into a nearby house, where she set herself on fire. The entire incident was captured on CCTV cameras installed in the street.

Bibi was rushed to the hospital in critical condition but unfortunately succumbed to her injuries on the morning of February 11.

After her death, her relatives and supporters staged a protest at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Chowk, placing her body on the road. The incident of her self-immolation quickly gained attention from the media and social media platforms. Negotiations between the police, administration, and the deceased’s family led to the conclusion of the protest, with the family demanding legal action against Additional Assistant Commissioner of the town Haroon Saleem.

But, surprisingly, on the same night of Bibi’s burial, her relatives reached a settlement with the AAC Town without any legal action or conditions.

‘Corruption case leads’ to seizure of property in Peshawar

In the presidency of Farooq Leghari, an SDO named Rafiq Bangash, stationed at C&W in Peshawar, took on a contract to construct a bridge. But the bridge collapsed before its inauguration, resulting in a corruption case against him. After the incident, Bangash fled to Dubai.

As time passed and General Pervez Musharraf assumed power, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was established to tackle corruption cases across the country, including Bangash’s case. He was apprehended via Interpol and brought back to Pakistan, where he faced trial. In the investigation, Rafiq Bangash disclosed details of all his assets to NAB, including a 16-marla house in University Town, Afzalabad.

As the case progressed toward its conclusion, the NAB court issued orders on December 11, 2012, to seize Bangash’s house and transfer it to the provincial government.

According to land records, the house comprises 16 marlas, with transfer numbers 3082 and 3083 indicating that eight marlas are registered in the name of Bangash and eight marlas in the name of his wife, Fahmida Begum.

Desperate widow takes extreme measure over property dispute in Peshawar

In University Town, Afzalabad, Peshawar, Bibi, a widow residing in a 16-marla house previously owned by Rafiq Bangash, claimed she is the property owner and that her late husband, Havaldar Khan, purchased the house from Bangash.

Local residents told Aaj News that after the case reached NAB, Khan suffered immense distress upon learning that the house was being seized, leading to a heart attack and his subsequent death. After her husband’s passing, Bibi made efforts to save the house.

Last year, she obtained a stay order from a civil court; however, it was implemented as it was not a civil matter but rather a decision resulting from a corruption case.

Moreover, the woman “lacked any legal documents” to substantiate her claim to the property, as although the property was sold, the transfer was not officially registered in the name of the new owner.

What does investigation says

According to Azmat Khan, the chief investigation officer at the University Town Police Station, the police received reports that a woman residing in a house transferred to the provincial government in Afzalabad became agitated during the eviction process. The situation escalated to the point where she doused herself in petrol and set herself on fire. The woman was later identified as Bibi

Khan stated that CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts indicated that the woman committed self-immolation, and “there was no involvement of the AAC in the incident.” The CCTV records showed that the assistant commissioner was not present at the scene during the tragic event.

Property transfer to provincial government completed after years

According to land records, the process of transferring the property to the provincial government began several years later, with the actual transfer completed in 2023. The transfer records show that the 8-marla property in the name of Bangash was transferred to the government’s name under transfer number 10030 on August 15, 2023, while the eight-marla property in the name of Fahmida Begum was transferred under transfer number 10058 on November 20, 2023. No further actions were taken afterwards.

The provincial government issued orders to vacate all properties affected by NAB following their directives. But land records show that there was no record of stamp papers or transfer documents in the names of Bibi and her husband Khan.

AAC denies involvement in widow’s tragic incident

In an interview with Aaj News, AAC Haroon Saleem claimed that a “well-organised propaganda” campaign had been waged against him. “If I had forcibly evicted the occupants or had any involvement in the woman’s demise, it would have been necessary for the matter to involve three parties or the house would have been transferred to a private individual instead of the provincial government, which would raise suspicions.”

He added that “all records are intact” and the provincial government has issued orders for the situation. NAB sent a letter stating that repeated orders had been given to vacate the house, which had not been acted upon, he added.

According to him, a notice to vacate the property was issued on June 24, 2024, through the town’s Deputy Tehsildar, informing Bibi that the house had been transferred to the provincial government, and she was required to vacate within a week. After several months of attempts to enforce this, on January 8, 2025, a team, including a lady constable, went to seal the house. Upon Bibi’s request, they granted an additional month before sealing and locking the property. “Unfortunately, this tragic incident occurred during the sealing of the remaining 8-marla portion of the house a month later.”

What to do if someone exhibits intent of self-harm

Here’s what you should do if someone you know exhibits signs of suicide or a tendency to isolate or self-harm:

• Try to make sure they are not left alone

• Remove any objects they could use to harm themselves.

• Take or encourage the person to seek help from a medical or mental health professional

You can get in touch with the following mental health helplines and speak to them.

Mind Organisation 042 35761999 Umang 0317 4288665 Talk2me.pk 0333 4065139 Baat Karo 0335 5743344 Taskeen 0316 8275336 Rooh 0333 3337664 Rozan 0800-22444 OpenCounseling 042 35761999