NEW YORK, :Pakistan\u2019s Consul General Ayesha Ali has offered support and assistance to the family of Nafia Ikram, the 21-year-old student, who was badly scarred when an unidentified man threw acid at her face near her home in Long Island, a New York City\u2019s suburb, as police hunts for the attacker.<\/p>\n
Ayesha Ali told APP on Friday that she spoke to Shaikh Ikram, the victim\u2019s father to sympathize with him and assured him of the consulate help.
\n\u201cHe was deeply appreciate of our reach out,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder had stern warning for the assailant, who is on the run.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy advice is to surrender yourself now because we\u2019re gonna get you, we\u2019re coming for you,\u201d he said Thursday, as the reward for information leading to arrest was doubled\u2014 from $10,000 to $20,000.<\/p>\n
Investigators with County\u2019s Police Department said the attacker seen in surveillance video is a thin man, standing about 6 feet 2 inches tall. They said he fled in a red car.<\/p>\n
Nafiah, a pre-med Pakistani-American student at Hofstra University, told reporters Thursday that she noticed the suspect as soon as she got home that night on March 17. She says right away that something didn\u2019t feel right.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe ran up behind me and threw it in my face,\u201d she said. \u201cI can\u2019t understand what level of hatred, or jealousy, or whatever provoked this person to do this to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Investigators are still testing the liquid to determine what it was, the reports said. But whatever it was, it turned Nafiah\u2019s face ash gray, making her feel like her face was on fire. It melted through her jacket and burned her arms.<\/p>\n
For weeks doctors thought Nafiah would be blind, according to reports. Her eyesight has since improved, but it\u2019s unclear if she will ever regain her full vision.<\/p>\n
Congress member and former Nassau County District Attorney, Kathleen Rice, has called on the New York state\u2019s Hate Crimes Task Force to assist Nassau County police.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have no evidence at this time to say it was a hate crime,\u201d Ryder said. \u201cWe have no evidence at this time to say it was not a hate crime. We treat our victims the same.\u201d
\nNafiah\u2019s father, Shaikh Ikram, explained the extent of her injuries, from which she is still recovering.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer eyes is very damaged and her face \u2013 maybe we are hoping it will heal, but it\u2019s going to take a long time. She still cannot eat. She\u2019s having difficulty eating even soft foods,\u201d he said. \u201cShe\u2019s very scared,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a fund created to meet Nafiah\u2019s medical costs has already raised over $370,000, with over 9,000 donors as of Thursday.<\/p>\n
Shaikh Ikram said the family is thankful for all those who donated and showed support. \u201cI don\u2019t know how to thank them. They\u2019re wonderful,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW YORK, :Pakistan\u2019s Consul General Ayesha Ali has offered support and assistance to the family of Nafia Ikram, the 21-year-old student, who was badly scarred when an unidentified man threw acid at her face near her home in Long Island, a New York City\u2019s suburb, […]<\/p>\n
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