A new investigation committee will be formed, the interior minister tells a National Assembly panel as lawmakers question the handling of evidence and demand accountability.
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has assured a National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior that a fresh committee will investigate the murder of Hina Javaid following concerns raised by her family over the existing investigation.
Naqvi said the case would be examined by a highly capable Punjab Police officer, acknowledging the family’s reservations about the investigation and promising further scrutiny.
“We can have another committee investigate the matter to address the family’s concerns,” he said during the committee meeting.
Family Questions Investigation
Hina Javaid, 45, was murdered on August 10. Police arrested her husband, Asghar Imam, and a domestic employee in connection with the case.
On October 17, her brother and the complainant in the case, Fahad Javaid, accused police of overlooking key evidence and protecting Faisal Asghar Imam. The family has rejected the findings of an earlier high-level committee established by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and has called for a judicial commission.
During the meeting, Rawalpindi Regional Police Officer Babar Sarfraz Alpa and SSP Investigation Saifullah briefed lawmakers on the investigation. The RPO said a committee had been working on the case under the supervision of the SSP Investigation from the outset, documenting the crime scene and collecting evidence.
He also said the Punjab chief minister had ordered a transparent investigation and that the Crime Control Department (CCD) was working on the case.
Lawmaker Criticises Police Briefing
During the briefing, SSP Investigation Saifullah claimed that domestic employee Zeeshan had lived on the upper floor two months earlier and had transferred photographs of the victim to his mobile phone.
Committee member Agha Rafiullah strongly criticised the statement, questioning how a senior police officer could make such claims during an investigation. He rejected the narrative presented in the briefing and called for an immediate judicial commission, suggesting that the investigation be handed to Sohail Zafar Chattha.
Fahad Javaid has also demanded a judicial commission, saying his family does not accept the conclusions of the existing high-level committee.
According to Fahad, the FIR named Faisal Asghar Imam, his father and domestic employee Zeeshan, but he alleged that investigators had focused only on Zeeshan. Meanwhile, Zeeshan’s father has maintained that his son is innocent and alleged that police forced him to confess through torture.
CCD Official Outlines Investigation Findings
Additional Inspector General of the Crime Control Department Sohail Zafar Chattha told the committee remotely that a special investigation team had been formed on the Punjab chief minister’s instructions.
He said the team had met Hina’s family to record their concerns, examined the crime scene and the room of the victim’s father-in-law, and questioned suspects Zeeshan and Faisal Asghar at Adiala Jail in the presence of jail officials.
Chattha said no person found responsible for the crime would be given any concession.
Outlining the team’s findings, he claimed that Hina had kept her portion of the house secured and that the window was the only way to enter. He alleged that the domestic employee had unlatched the portion’s door the night before the incident, later entered Hina’s room, killed her and then sexually assaulted her.
Chattha also addressed the DNA evidence. According to the report, he said DNA from Faisal Asghar was found on Hina’s neck because a bedsheet belonging to him had allegedly been used during the incident.
These statements reflect claims presented during the committee briefing; the case remains subject to investigation, and allegations against individuals should not be treated as a final judicial determination.
Calls for Independent Accountability
The committee discussion highlighted continuing disagreements over the evidence, the role of the suspects and the credibility of the existing investigation.
With the family demanding an independent judicial inquiry and the interior minister promising a fresh committee, the handling of the case is likely to remain under scrutiny.