Newborn girl left to die on street in Karachi

KARACHI - In what appears to be a case of female infanticide, residents of Karachi's Gulistan-e-Jauhar rescued a newborn baby girl who was found severely wounded and abandoned in the area.

The girl, believed to be no more than one day old, was left to die on the road.

"Around 2.30 am. I was sitting with my friends. Suddenly strange noises started coming. Dogs started barking. I don't have words to describe what I saw after reaching the point," said one of the witnesses.

"She was crying and literally mumbling on wounds on her body."

Chhipa was called to rescue the newborn girl. The girl was shifted to the JPMC child ward where she is reportedly in severe condition.

Discrimination against girls through abortion and infanticide is an open secret of Pakistani society.

The Edhi Foundation, Pakistan's largest welfare agency, says the number of dead babies its ambulances pick up has increased by almost 20 percent each year since 2010.  Chhipa Welfare Association and the Aman Foundation have reported similar increases.

Experts have noted that increasing costs of living have also led to the increase in female infanticide in the urbanised Karachi that continues to face new complex problems.