Islamabad, Aug 25 (IANS): The "terrible story" of a woman beating her 12-year-old servant to death for not feeding her dog points to the lack of value for human life in Pakistani society, a a leading English daily said Thursday.

"The terrible story from Lahore of a woman who beat her servant to death for forgetting to feed her dog once again throws light on the lack of value for human life in our society - particularly when it comes to the underclass, the poor," an editorial in the News International said.

Sadia Asif clubbed Taqi Usman so mercilessly that he died. She then drove with Taqi's body to his hometown and attempted a deal with his distraught parents. They refused.

Sadia was held.

"It is vital for justice to be done, and that can happen only when the law comes down on the side of the weak, as it should on the side of the child's family now," the editorial said.

The Aug 14 killing was the latest of incidents in which child servants were done to death by wealthy employers, some for the most minor offences.

"Some had been deprived of food or tortured in other ways before being killed."

"...Unless effective laws are put in place, and implemented, there will be other tragedies as terrible as the one which took place in Lahore on Independence Day."