Murder of Ghazala Javed: Primary accused, family members record statements

Former husband denies murder charges; family members say they are receiving threats.

SWAT: The man accused of murdering renowned Pashtu singer Ghazala Javed, as well as the victim’s mother and sister, recorded their statements in a district court in Saidu Sharif on Wednesday.

The case was heard by Additional Session Judge Mohammad Zubair.

Jahangir Khan, Javed’s former husband and the main accused in the murder case, reiterated that he is innocent and that the charges levelled against them are baseless. His lawyer, Mohammad Inam Yousafzai said, “My client is involved only because of personal grudges and there are no facts behind the false charges.”



Javed’s sister and mother maintained that since they registered a case against Javed they have been receiving death threats, which is why they shifted the case from Peshawar court to Swat. They alleged that Khan has connections with the police, which is why they refused to register a First Information Report (FIR) against him after the incident. “[Khan] has still not been sent on police remand and we continue to receive death threats from his accomplices,” they said.

Ghazala Javed and her father Mohammad Javed were gunned down on June 18, 2012 when they were returning from a  parlour in Dabgaria area of Peshawar. Soon after, her sister and mother registered a case with the Shah Qabool Police Station, accusing Khan of murder; however, Khan was not arrested until August 29.



The victim’s sister and mother said Javed was devastated when she learnt about Khan’s second marriage, which he had kept secret, and she ended the marriage soon after.

The melodious Pashto singer was considered a pioneer in reviving female singing in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) after militancy in Swat. She received the Khyber Award in 2011 and was nominated for the Filmfare Award in 2010.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2013.