Police hunt for ‘healer’ who hit nail into woman’s head
A manhunt is under way in Pakistan for a faith healer who allegedly hammered a nail into a pregnant woman’s head.
The woman arrived at a hospital in Peshawar after trying to extract the 5cm (two-inch) nail with pliers.
Initially, she told doctors that she had carried out the act herself, but later admitted a faith healer who had claimed he could guarantee she gave birth to a baby boy was responsible.
Police began investigating after x-ray images of the injury appeared online.
Dr Haider Khan, a staff member at the Lady Reading Hospital, said the woman was “fully conscious, but was in immense pain,” when she arrived seeking treatment.
Staff at the hospital told newspapers that the woman had approached the faith healer after hearing about the practice from a neighbour.
In some poorer South Asian countries, a son is often believed to offer better long-term financial security to parents than daughters do, and this gives rise to exploitative practices, often from so-called “faith healers”.
Faith healers are relatively common in some parts of Pakistan, particularly in north-western tribal areas. Their practices are grounded in Sufi lore, sometimes described as a form of Islamic mysticism.
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