DERA GHAZI KHAN: Police have registered 17 cases against the sellers of Kala Pathar or paraphenylenediamine in the division under a campaign to prohibit/stop the misuse of the poisonous chemical being used to commit suicide.

The police initiated a campaign, ‘Eliminate poison, save lives’,against the sale and use of Kala Pathar (a chemical used in hair dye) following rising suicide cases among women of rural areas or their killing with the substance, as well as record of the intensive care unit of Ghazi Khan Medical College teaching hospital.

The campaign has been initiated in four districts of the division. According to the hospital record, there has been an influx of women in critical condition from the use or administration of Kala Pathar.

Regional Police Officer Deputy Inspector General Rana Faisalsaid that he had directed police forces of the four districts to register cases against the sale and use of the chemical to curb its misuse, adding that every suicide incident related to this substance would be thoroughly investigated to determine if it was a murder or suicide.

In 2017, 156 women from rural areas of the district had reportedly attempted suicide by consuming Kala Pathar and such incidents continued till date.

Out of the 17 cases registered under the campaign, 10 were in Rajanpur and seven in Layyah under sections 284 and 269 of PPC.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2020