RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD: A court in Rawalpindi on Sunday remanded in police custody the husband and his domestic servant for three days in the murder case of a 45-year-old woman.

The suspects, Faisal Asghar Imam and his domestic servant were produced before the duty magistrate by the Civil Lines police seeking their remand custody for further investigation.

Hina Javaid was found dead in the bathroom of an apartment in Lalkurti Rawalpindi with signs of torture, her hands tied behind and an injury below her right lip on Thursday night. She was bleeding from the nose with a wire around her neck.

Police have recovered the wire allegedly used for strangulation, and piece of cloth used for tying her hands behind and gagging her mouth.

First Lady calls upon Punjab govt to ensure thorough inquiry into heinous crime

Police registered the murder case against Ms Hina’s husband and her 78-year-old father-in-law and the domestic servant on the complaint of the victim’s brother Fahad Javaid.

However, the police said the role of the father-in-law was yet to be ascertained as he was being investigated.

On the other hand, the cause of death of Ms Hina was not established in the initial postmortem report as it will be determined after the Punjab Forensic Science Agency’s report is received.

A close relative of the victim said Ms Hina had been serving as a digital media executive at Aiwan-i-Sadr and was married to Faisal nine months ago.

In the FIR, the complainant accused her sister’s husband of routinely subjecting her to physical and psychological abuse.

Meanwhile, a seven-member police team, headed by the senior superintendent of police investigation has been formed to investigate the murder case. The father-in-law of the victim has been ordered not to leave the city as he was also identified as a suspect in the FIR.

Moreover, the mobile phones of the victim and the three members of the family have been taken into custody. It has been decided to conduct DNA tests on the suspects.

The investigation team formed by City Police Officer Hassan Mushtaq Sukhera is headed by SSP Investigation Saifullah and includes SP Potohar Chaudhry Azar Ali, DSP Civil Line Raja Shakeel, SHO Civil Line Asif Sajjad and Inspector HIU Mirza Arif along with technical experts.

First Lady for proper probe

First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari MNA expressed deep concern and sorrow over the murder of Hina Javaid and conveyed her solidarity and condolences to the bereaved family.

She called upon the government of Punjab to ensure a thorough inquiry and proper investigation into the heinous crime. She said those responsible must be brought to justice and made an example of so that no one dares to repeat such an act.

She also expressed concern over the rise in such incidents in Pakistan and hoped that effective measures would be taken to protect women and prevent such crimes in the future.

Women’s Parliamentary Caucus condemns murder

The Women’s Parliamentary Caucus in National Assembly condemned the tragic death of Hina Javaid at the residence of her in-laws in Rawalpindi.

In a statement, the WPC expressed deep concern over the circumstances surrounding her death and 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.

Secretary WPC MNA Dr Shahida Rehmani said: “The tragic death of Hina Javaid 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.”

In a separate statement, Senator Sherry Rehman also condemned the murder, calling for an impartial probe and swift justice. She said Hina Javaid was reportedly a victim of domestic violence.

She termed the killing of yet another woman subjected to domestic violence deeply tragic and heartbreaking. She said domestic violence could not be dismissed as a private or family matter, warning that such a mindset posed a serious threat to women’s safety and must be challenged at the societal level.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2026