Pressure ‘over marriage being probed’ in Lahore varsity student’s suicide attempt

• Lahore university student stable, on oxygen support.
• Forensic review of student’s last call underway in Lahore.
• Hina Butt visits hospital, says saving student is top priority.

LAHORE: A female student at a private university in Lahore has regained consciousness and been removed from a ventilator after a suicide attempt, hospital authorities said on Thursday.

The student, identified as Fatima, who allegedly jumped from the second floor of the university building, is currently being treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Lahore’s General Hospital. Hospital officials said she remains on oxygen support but is now stable and responsive.

“The patient has regained consciousness and has been removed from the ventilator. Her condition has improved significantly,” a hospital spokesperson said.

According to the administration, Fatima’s vital signs are stable. “Oxygen support is continuing and her haemodynamics are stable,” the spokesperson added.

Hospital officials said that the student has also spoken with her family. “She has communicated with her relatives and is responding well to treatment,” the administration said.

Doctors will reassess the need for spinal surgery, the hospital said, noting that her condition is being monitored closely.

‘Pressure over marriage being probed’

Meanwhile, Punjab Women Protection Authority Chairperson Hina Pervaiz Butt visited Lahore’s General Hospital on Thursday, where the student is receiving treatment, and met both the patient and her family. She said the student’s condition had improved significantly and stressed that her life remained the top priority.

“After regaining consciousness, the student has been taken off the ventilator, and her condition has shown marked improvement,” Butt said in a statement.

Hina also said that claims related to pressure over marriage and education were also under review.

She said that officials have launched a forensic examination of the student’s mobile phone records, including her last call before the incident. “All facts before and after the incident will be brought to light in accordance with the law,” Butt said.

Her statement comes a day after police said that Fatima, a resident of NarangMandi, wished to marry a young man named Ahmed, according to The News. However, her family opposed the marriage and insisted that she should continue her studies. Sources said the student became distressed over the refusal and attempted to take her own life.

She directed hospital authorities to ensure strict monitoring of the student’s treatment at every stage. “Saving the student’s life is the foremost priority, and the hospital administration must closely supervise every phase of her care,” Hina added.

She further said that authorities are also investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. “All aspects of the case would be examined, including possible pressure related to education, family matters and personal choices.”

Medical board restructured

A day earlier, the medical board constituted to oversee the treatment of the injured student had been restructured. The number of board members has been increased from four to seven.

The board includes Professor of Medicine Dr Khurram Saleem, Head of the Pulmonology Department Dr Javed Magsi, and Associate Professor of Gynaecology Dr Saira Zeeshan. Senior doctors are providing continuous care to the student, while Principal Professor Farooq Afzal is supervising the treatment process.

Moreover, the administration of a private university located on Raiwind Road in Lahore has constituted an eight-member inquiry committee a day earlier to investigate an alleged suicide attempt by a female student.