Hina Javed murder case: Family seeks judicial probe in letter to Maryam Nawaz

Digital media executive Hina Javed was found dead at her home in Rawalpindi, and her family has asked Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to appoint a judicial commission to probe the case, saying they’re unhappy with the findings of a police investigative team.

In a letter to the chief minister, the family has demanded an impartial and transparent probe and expressed worries about the management of forensic evidence and the alleged deletion of vital communications from Hina’s cell phone.

Maryam Nawaz added that the probe was still on and assured the family that all efforts would be made to ensure justice.

On August 21, Hina, 45, was found dead in the bathtub of her house in the Lal Kurti district of Rawalpindi. A murder case was registered at Civil Lines police station on a complaint from her brother who said that she was exposed to assault before her death.

The post-mortem report said Hina suffered a fracture in her neckbone, damage to her ribs and hip and bleeding surrounding her heart.

Later, police detained her husband Faisal Asghar and domestic worker Zeeshan Arshad in connection with the case. Hina’s father-in-law was also named during probe.

Later Zeeshan’s family accused police of trying to paint him as the major suspect.

Hina’s family claimed in a letter that they did not trust the findings of the police committee and had lost faith in its method of investigation. The family said they had tried repeatedly to contact the chief minister personally but had not been successful, so were airing their concerns through various venues and representatives of the government.

The family questioned mishandling of forensic evidence saying DNA of Faisal and his father was detected on Hina’s neck. It further noted that Hina’s father-in-law had initially registered a case of theft from the house.

The letter said they were still awaiting forensic reports on the mobile phones of Hina and the suspects. The family said important messages were erased from Hina’s phone and questioned why the domestic worker was suspected before the forensic reports and fingerprint findings were released.

The family said that evidence pointing to Faisal was being ignored, but they also acknowledged the alleged role of the domestic helper in the murder.

The committee should also not judge anyone guilty or innocent before the case is adjudicated by a court, it said. The family said the arrangement created a potential conflict of interest, with the same department both researching the matter and reaching conclusions about it.

The family has asked Maryam Nawaz to go over the case file and form a judicial committee for independent investigation. It also urged for all accused to be treated according to the law and for justice to be done.

Meanwhile, the chief minister again said the inquiry was not complete. She assured Hina’s family that every effort would be made to ensure justice and that she would meet them personally.