Two young Pakistani Christian women suffered severe burns when a man sprayed acid on them in Balochistan's Quetta city today.
Rimsha Masih, 27 and Hina Masih, 16, were rushed to hospital after the incident in the market in Basit Panchait on Kasi road commercial area.
The area has a large Christian population.
"Rimsha's face was 30 per cent affected whereas 15 per cent of Hina's face was burnt in the attack," Dr Masood Nowsherwani at the Bolan Medical College hospital said.
He said the assailant had used a large syringe to spray the acid on the women.
Quetta police officer Razzaq Cheema said the families of the two girls had accused a Christian man, Vijay Masih, for the crime.
Cheema said the incident appeared to be linked to some old enmity over a rejected marriage proposal but admitted in the past women had been sprayed with acid by religious fanatics.
Last year, at least four women were sprayed with acid-filled syringes in different parts of Balochistan, while in 2011, four female Baloch school teachers were attacked with acid by unknown culprits.
