Anchorperson Rabia Ahsan shot dead in Rawalpindi

Anchorperson and television programme host Rabia Ahsan was shot dead at her residence in Rawalpindi’s Gulshanabad area on Sunday, prompting police to launch an investigation into the incident.

City Police Officer (CPO) Hassan Mushtaq Sukhera confirmed that Ahsan’s husband had been taken into custody. Police also seized the suspected weapon used in the shooting.

According to police, a male domestic worker at the house told investigators that Ahsan’s husband had claimed the gunshot was fired accidentally. However, the circumstances surrounding her death remain under investigation.

CPO Sukhera, accompanied by senior police officials and forensic experts, visited the crime scene to oversee the initial investigation. Teams from the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) collected evidence from the residence.

The victim’s body was shifted to a hospital for a postmortem examination. Police said a case was being registered and assured that the investigation would be conducted on merit.

Meanwhile, First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari expressed deep sorrow over Ahsan’s killing and strongly condemned the violence. She called for a thorough, impartial and transparent investigation to establish the facts and bring those responsible to justice.

Aseefa also raised concerns over what she described as a disturbing pattern of killings involving professional women in Rawalpindi.

She referred to the murder of Hina Javed, a 45-year-old digital media executive who was found dead at her residence in August with signs of torture.

The First Lady stressed that such incidents required serious attention and accountability, adding that women must be able to live and work without fearing for their lives.

She also pointed out that the investigation into Hina Javed’s murder had yet to reach a conclusive outcome.

According to a DNA analysis report, samples collected from Hina’s domestic worker matched postmortem swabs taken from her body. Her husband’s DNA also matched samples recovered from several items at the crime scene.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had previously said that DNA and polygraph test results suggested that Hina’s murder and rape had been committed by the domestic worker. However, she noted that the investigation was still ongoing.

On October 29, Aseefa met Hina’s family at Parliament and called for due consideration of their demand for a judicial commission to investigate the case.