ISLAMABAD: Police have launched an investigation into the killing of journalist Rabia Ahsan, who was found shot dead at her residence in Rawalpindi on Sunday. Her husband has been taken into custody for questioning, a senior police official said.
According to Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) Hassan Mushtaq Sukhera, Ahsan was discovered in the bedroom of her house on Adiala Road with a gunshot wound below her neck.
Ahsan was associated with 92 News, a prominent private Urdu-language television channel, where she worked as an anchor.
Speaking to reporters, Sukhera said police recovered a firearm believed to have been used in the incident from the room. Forensic experts have also collected evidence from the crime scene.
Her husband, identified as Ahsan, has been detained in connection with the case, while a first information report (FIR) is being registered to formally begin legal proceedings.
Police officials, including senior officers overseeing operations and investigations, reached the residence following reports of the shooting. A team from the Punjab Forensic Science Agency also examined the scene.
The journalist’s body was subsequently shifted to a hospital for a post-mortem examination.
Media reports quoting police sources said the husband had told investigators that the weapon went off accidentally, resulting in his wife’s death. However, police have not officially verified this account.
The reports further stated that Ahsan works as a Grade-18 officer at the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation and that the couple have two daughters. His mother and sisters were reportedly present at the house when the incident took place.
A police spokesperson said the suspect had not yet been formally questioned and stressed that investigators would establish the facts after examining all available evidence.
Police have assured that the case will be investigated impartially, adding that no conclusion has been reached regarding whether the shooting was accidental or intentional.
The incident has once again drawn attention to the persistent problem of violence against women in Pakistan, where domestic abuse and gender-based killings continue to pose serious challenges.
