First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday called on the Punjab government to conduct a thorough investigation into the murder of Hina Javed, who was found dead in her apartment in Rawalpindi earlier this week.

Hina was found dead in the washroom of her apartment in Askari Apartments, Lal Kurti, on Thursday evening, with the police saying that the body bore signs of torture, with a wire fastened around her neck and tied to the shower rod. Police have detained her husband and a servant in relation to the case.

In a post on social media platform X, the President’s Office said that the first lady “expressed deep concern and sorrow over the reported brutal murder of Hina Javed in Rawalpindi, and conveyed her solidarity and condolences to the bereaved family”.

According to the statement, Aseefa urged the provincial government to conduct a “thorough inquiry and proper investigation into the heinous crime”.

Aseefa said that those responsible must be brought to justice and “made an example of so no one dares to repeat such an act”.

She expressed alarm at the rise of incidents of violence against women in Pakistan and called for measures to ensure protection of women and prevention of such crimes in the future.

PPP MNA Naz Baloch said Hina’s death was “not merely a tragedy for one family but a stark reflection of the presence of savage beasts lurking in our society”.

The snatching away of an innocent life in such a manner is utterly unacceptable under any circumstances. A transparent and impartial investigation must be conducted into this heartbreaking incident”, she said, adding that the culprits should be penalised in accordance with law.

Separately, Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) of the National Assembly also expressed “profound grief and strongly condemned the tragic death of Hina Javed” and “deep concern” over the circumstances surrounding the incident.

In a statement posted on NA’s X, the caucus called for a transparent, impartial and thorough investigation to establish the facts and ensure that every individual found responsible or complicit was brought to justice in accordance with the law.

“The WPC emphasised that the investigation must comprehensively examine the role of all individuals present at the time of the incident, as well as any other persons who may be connected to the case,” the statement read.

It quoted WPC Secretary MNA Shahida Rehmani as saying: “The tragic death of Hina Javed is deeply disturbing and raises serious concerns about the safety and protection of women within their own homes. There must be no compromise on a fair and complete investigation, and anyone found responsible must be held accountable under the law.”

The WPC stressed that violence against women in any form was unacceptable and called for effective enforcement of existing laws, stronger institutional mechanisms and greater accountability to ensure the safety, dignity and protection of women.

The case

According to the first information report (FIR), registered on Aug 20 at the Civil Lines police station under Sections 302 (premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code, Hina’s brother, Fahid Javed, had alleged that his sister had been murdered by her husband, his father and their domestic servant.

Fahid told police that he received a telephone call from his sister’s father-in-law at around 6:53pm on Thursday, informing him of an emergency at the residence. He said he rushed to the apartment with other family members and arrived there at about 7:23pm.

He claimed that when he arrived at the residence, he found his sister’s body in the bathroom. The complainant further alleged that his sister had been subjected to “severe torture and mistreatment” by her husband. He also claimed that she might have been administered a poisonous substance before her death.

In his complaint, Fahid said Hina had married the suspect in November 2025.

An initial postmortem examination indicated a strangulation mark around her neck, an injury below her right lip and bleeding.

On Saturday, a police spokesman said Hina’s husband and their domestic servant had been detained on murder charges, while the father-in-law was being questioned by police.