KARACHI: A Pakistani mother has been arrested in Karachi after allegedly killing her two young children amid a dispute with her ex-husband, in a case that has shocked the country, police said on Thursday.
Child killings by mothers are rare in Pakistan. Experts say such incidents are often linked to mental health crises, family breakdowns, or domestic stress, underscoring the limited psychiatric and social support available for women facing marital disputes in the conservative South Asian nation.
According to a police report, the victims were identified as Zarar, 8, and Samia, 4, who died at their home in Karachi’s Defense Phase 6 area early on Thursday morning. Police said the mother was taken into custody at the scene and was being interrogated.
The woman’s former husband, Ghufran Khalid, told police she was “mentally ill,” according to the statement.
“A lady namely Adeeba Ghufran w/o Ghufran has killed her two kids ... cut the necks with sharp knife of her kids due to divorce issue with her husband,” Deputy Inspector General (DIG) South Karachi Syed Asad Raza said in a text message to Arab News.
