Case registered after woman found dead, bound in Rawalpindi

Discovery and Initial Response

A case was registered at Rawalpindi’s Civil Lines police station after Hina Javed was found dead in the washroom of her apartment in Askari Apartments, Lal Kurti. As reported by Dawn, the 45-year-old woman’s body was discovered with her hands bound behind her back, a cloth over her mouth, and a wire fastened around her neck and connected to the shower rod. The Nation (Pakistan) similarly described the scene in a second-floor flat, noting her hands tied with cloth, mouth gagged, and a wire around her neck attached to the bathroom shower. BOL News identified her as a 42-year-old parliamentary employee killed on August 20 in the Lal Kurti area.

Accounts of the timing differ slightly across reports. Dawn stated she was found on Thursday evening, while The Nation (Pakistan) reported the discovery on Thursday morning. According to the first information report detailed by Dawn, Hina’s brother, identified variously as Fahad or Fahid Javed, received a telephone call from her father-in-law at around 6:53pm on Thursday informing him of an emergency. He arrived at the apartment with family members at about 7:23pm and found the body in the bathroom. The Nation (Pakistan) named the brother as Fahad Javed Malik and confirmed he filed the complaint.

The FIR was registered on August 20 under Sections 302 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code. Dawn reported that the brother alleged Hina had been subjected to severe torture and mistreatment, with foam coming from her mouth raising suspicion of a poisonous substance. An initial postmortem examination, as carried by Dawn, indicated a strangulation mark around her neck, an injury below her right lip, and bleeding. Police recorded the body’s condition upon arrival, and a team from the Punjab Forensic Science Agency visited the apartment to collect evidence. The body was shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital for postmortem. Investigators are awaiting forensic, DNA, and full postmortem reports to determine the cause of death, according to both Dawn and The Nation (Pakistan).

Arrests and Court Proceedings

Police detained Hina’s husband, Faisal Asghar Imam, and their domestic servant, Zeeshan Arshad, on murder charges, as reported across Dawn, BOL News, and The Nation (Pakistan). Dawn noted that her elderly father-in-law, identified as Asghar Ali Fiaz or Asghar Ali Fayyaz and described as 78 years old, was being questioned. A police spokesman confirmed the detentions while stating the father-in-law’s role was yet to be determined. The Nation (Pakistan) reported that police said arrests could not be made solely on the basis of family allegations and that the father-in-law could be included if evidence warranted it. He had been present at the apartment and informed the brother of the emergency.

On Sunday, a duty magistrate in Rawalpindi remanded the husband and servant in police custody for three days, Dawn reported. The suspects were produced before the magistrate, who granted Civil Lines police the physical remand and directed a progress report upon its completion. A seven-member team headed by Rawalpindi SSP (Investigation) Saifullah was formed, and mobile phones of the victim and three family members were taken into custody.

Family Background and Allegations

Hina had married Faisal Asghar Imam in November 2025, according to multiple Dawn reports and The Nation (Pakistan). In the FIR, her brother alleged that the husband, father-in-law, and servant were responsible for the murder. He further claimed the husband had previously abused his first wife, who later obtained a divorce. The Nation (Pakistan) reported family allegations of repeated physical and psychological abuse during the marriage, and that Hina worked for a semi-government organisation while her husband had at times been unemployed after being sacked from a university in Islamabad.

BOL News carried statements from family members describing changes after the arranged marriage. Cousin Sabah Malik said Hina, who had worked for the National Assembly for 15 years and recently received a promotion, became withdrawn and reserved, a departure from her previous confident and career-oriented nature. Family members repeatedly asked if she was happy but she would change the subject. Her sister-in-law noted Hina had visited her parents’ home daily for the past nine to 10 months. The family called for the immediate arrest of the father-in-law and a full investigation, stating that violence against women is a crime and should be treated as such. They described Hina as a daughter, sister, and friend whose loss could not be expressed in words, and demanded transparency free from influence.

Official Reaction

First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari called on the Punjab government to conduct a thorough investigation into the murder, Dawn reported. In a post on social media platform X from the President’s Office, she expressed deep concern and sorrow over the reported brutal murder, conveyed solidarity and condolences to the bereaved family, and urged a thorough inquiry so that those responsible are brought to justice and made an example. She expressed alarm at the rise of incidents of violence against women in Pakistan and called for measures to ensure their protection and prevent such crimes.

Perspectives

The family’s viewpoint, as conveyed through the FIR and statements to BOL News and The Nation (Pakistan), centers on allegations that Hina suffered severe torture, mistreatment, and possible poisoning at the hands of her husband, father-in-law, and servant, with prior patterns of abuse cited and a demand for the father-in-law’s immediate arrest alongside a transparent probe. First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari’s position, reported by Dawn, frames the incident as a heinous crime requiring thorough provincial investigation, justice for those responsible, and broader action against rising violence against women. Police, according to Dawn and The Nation (Pakistan), have proceeded with detentions of the husband and servant on murder charges, three-day remand, evidence collection, and questioning of the father-in-law, while emphasizing that further arrests depend on forensic findings rather than allegations alone and that the cause of death awaits full reports.