LAHORE: Two women have been arrested for murder after strangling a Pakistani faith healer with a scarf after years of being blackmailed over videos he took of them, police said on Monday.
The women told police they had turned to Riaz Hussain for help in removing black magic curses but he instead took compromising videos that he threatened to release.
“During the investigation it was found that Riaz Hussain had been sexually harassing women for a long time under the pretext of spiritual healing,” police in the city of Multan in Punjab province said in a statement.
The women, with the help of their cousin and another man, strangled the faith healer with a scarf before dumping his body.
The four have been arrested for murder, police said, adding that a fifth man has also been arrested.
Faith healers are revered by some communities in Pakistan and their orders are followed devotedly, allowing for widespread exploitation.
A pregnant woman was brought to a hospital with a nail hammered into her head in 2022 after a faith healer said it would guarantee she gave birth to a boy.
Another woman died the following year after being tortured with sticks for days by a faith healer who claimed to be following an exorcism ritual.
Women strangle blackmailing Pakistan faith healer — police
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Women strangle blackmailing Pakistan faith healer — police
- The women say they turned to Riaz Hussain for help in removing black magic curses but he instead took their compromising videos
- Faith healers are revered by some communities in Pakistan and their orders are followed devotedly, allowing for widespread exploitation
Pakistan’s moon sighting committee to meet tomorrow to sight Ramadan crescent
- Committee members visually observe crescent every year to determine dates for Ramadan, Eid festivals in Pakistan
- Pakistan’s national space agency has said the Ramadan crescent is likely to be visible in the country on Feb. 18
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s central moon-sighting committee will meet in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Wednesday to sight the Ramadan crescent, state media reported as Islamabad gears up for the holy Islamic month.
Pakistan’s Ruet-e-Hilal Committee (RHC) determines the dates for new Islamic months and Eid festivals by sighting the moon every year. Committee members announce the dates for the Islamic months after visually observing the crescent and receiving testimonies of its sighting from several parts of the country.
“The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will meet in Peshawar tomorrow for sighting of Ramazan-ul-Mubarak 1447 Hijri moon,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Tuesday.
Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, the chairman of the committee, will preside over the meeting. Radio Pakistan said zonal and district RHCs will also meet at their respective headquarters to sight the moon.
Pakistan’s national space agency announced last week that the Ramadan crescent is likely to be visible in the country on Feb. 18 and consequently, the first date of Ramadan is likely to be on Feb. 19.
Muslims fast from dawn till sunset during Ramadan. This is followed by Eid-ul-Fitr, a religious holiday and celebration to mark the end of Ramadan which is observed by Muslims worldwide.
