The investigation into the murder of Hina Javed in Rawalpindi has taken a new turn after arrested domestic worker Zeeshan gave three different accounts of how the woman died.
According to police officials and the reports, Zeeshan first told investigators that Hina was killed inside her home as part of a pre-planned plot. He later confessed to killing her alone before giving a third statement in which he claimed that Hina and her husband, Faisal Asghar, were involved in a quarrel and he was called to assist.
In the third account, Zeeshan told police that Hina tried to escape during the altercation, after which Faisal and Zeeshan grabbed her. He claimed that they strangled her before taking her to the bathroom.
Police have questioned Zeeshan’s version that he killed Hina alone. Investigators believe a single person could not have killed her and then hung her body from the shower without assistance. Police therefore consider his third statement, which places Faisal and Zeeshan together during the incident, more plausible.
The investigation also includes Hina’s father-in-law Asghar Fayyaz. According to the police, he initially went to the police station and reported that thieves had entered the house and committed the crime.
Regional Police Officer (RPO) Babar Sarfraz Alpa has also ruled out suicide, saying, “It was a murder.” He said that Faisal and Zeeshan remained in police remand, while Hina’s father-in-law was under investigation but had not been arrested.
The RPO said that the investigation is at an early stage, adding that police would take action against the father-in-law if concrete evidence emerged against him.
Police have confirmed that the body was found in the bathroom with Hina’s hands tied behind her back and her body tied to the shower. Her brother Fahad Javed then requested registration of a murder case. The FIR [First Information Report] naming Faisal Asghar Imam, Asghar Fayyaz, Zeeshan and an unidentified person.
The autopsy report has also raised questions about how Hina died. The report found a fractured neck bone, which doctors said indicated that pressure had been applied to the neck or she had been choked.
It also recorded injuries on both sides of her ribs and on the right side of her hip bone. Blood had accumulated in her heart and lungs, while doctors did not give oxygen deprivation as the final cause of death.
Samples collected from Hina’s body have been sent to a forensic laboratory in Lahore. The initial post-mortem report could not establish the precise cause of death, with forensic examination expected to help determine it.
According to police, Zeeshan had initially given a different account and made the disclosure during remand custody.
Police officials have not released a clear account of Faisal’s position during interrogation. However, officials told the reporter that information obtained from Faisal and Zeeshan connects at several points. The investigation is continuing from multiple angles, with police using technical and human intelligence.
Hina had been married to Faisal for nine months. She had also worked in parliament on an National Information Technology Board (NITB) project.
The murder was raised in the National Assembly (NA), where Speaker Ayaz Sadiq directed the relevant committees to examine the matter. Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar confirmed that the government will cooperate with the committee proceedings and said, “This matter will be brought to its logical conclusion.”
