On 6 June 2026, Dr Mahnoor Nasir was on duty when she was attacked with acid at Sandeman Provincial Hospital, Quetta, which severely burned her face, chest, and hands.
This is not an isolated incident but a tiny segment of a broader pattern.
According to the Acid Survivors Foundation (ASF), there are 200 acid attacks in Pakistan each year, with 80% of victims being women, placing acid attacks in the category of gender-based violence.
According to official statistics, though the number is decreasing, the World Population Review states that there are an estimated 80 cases in Pakistan in 2026.
However, there is significant underreporting, and Zohra Yusuf, the former Chair of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, says that only 10% of cases make it to court.
This means nine out of ten attackers walk free, a silence that the state has chosen and a permission it continues to grant to the next perpetrator.
Therefore, this should not be seen as an attack on an individual, but rather as a sign of a deeply rooted systemic failure that is disproportionately impacting women.
In the underprivileged province of Balochistan, the female literacy rate is as low as 33%, compared with the national average of 54%, which drops to below 10% in the case of rural female literacy.
Only a small fraction of girls get the opportunity and courage to step out of their homes, complete their education, and enter the professional arena to serve their communities.
Dr Mahnoor Nasir deserved to heal patients, not become one
Their courage inspires other girls and reassures their families, giving them the confidence to send their daughters to school.
Dr Mahnoor Nasir was one such woman, a symbol of that hard-earned achievement.
However, when these incidents occur, they not only further discourage families but also instil in them a deeper fear of societal brutality.
Apart from mismanagement and the lack of proper security, the objectification of women is a main cause of these incidents.
Young boys are constantly socialised within their families with hegemonic masculinity, a culturally dominant ideal that associates "real manhood" with dominance and authority, especially over women.
In doing so, they internalise themselves as the norm and standard within the household, shaping their identity and behaviour from an early age.
Meanwhile, girls are raised to be subordinate and treated as a resource to be exploited, denying them an individual identity or agency of their own.
When these boys grow up in this environment, they cannot accept the personhood and independence of women.
They expect subjugation from every woman, and if women disobey or protest, they feel entitled to do anything to them, including throwing acid and burning them.
Such violence does not emerge in a vacuum; it is a product of a society that has left these norms unchecked.
The same socialisation manifests itself in everyday life, long before it turns into physical violence.
Every day, many women face harassment, bullying, and intimidation in the workplace.
In Pakistan, over 85% of female workers encounter harassment in the workplace, according to the Home-Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF).
They cannot raise their voices against mistreatment because doing so will affect only them, not others, thereby putting their employment and reputation at risk.
They are expected to endure silently until physical violence takes place, as though that alone constitutes proof of mistreatment.
Therefore, as Raania Ahsan writes in The News on Sunday, "The real measure of justice is not how society reacts after harm, but how it prevents harm before it happens."
Bringing reform is a dire need of the hour.
It is the duty of parents to raise their sons with an equal sense of responsibility and to teach them about gender equality, emotional accountability, and respect for women's autonomy, rather than dominance over them.
Additionally, schools must embed these topics within their curricula from the earliest grades so that mutual respect becomes second nature.
The government should also enact stronger harassment and discrimination laws with proper enforcement and accountability mechanisms.
Mandatory workplace training and awareness programmes should be provided to all employees to prevent harm and create an inclusive space for everyone.
Dr Mahnoor Nasir deserved to heal patients, not become one.
Unless we change what we teach our sons and what we demand of our institutions, no woman is truly safe.