Hina murder probe deepens

New photos showing injuries to victim's body raise questions in the high-profile case

RAWALPINDI:

Fresh revelations have emerged in the high-profile Hina Javed murder case, with additional photographs showing the victim's body hanging from a shower in a bathroom, injuries to her face and wounds on her elbow raising serious questions about the circumstances surrounding her death.

Meanwhile, Shazia Bibi, the mother of Zeeshan, a domestic worker arrested in the case, has appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for justice, claiming that her son was forced at gunpoint to assist in the murder and feared for his life if he refused.

One of the newly surfaced photographs of Hina's body shows her face covered, both hands tied behind her back with a dupatta and a white wire around her neck attached to the bathroom shower. Bloodstains are also visible on the floor beneath her left knee.

Another photograph showing injuries to the victim's face reveals deep wounds on her lips. There are also allegations that her neck was twisted with considerable force.

A photograph of Hina's right elbow shows five puncture-like wounds. Her family suspects that the injuries may have been inflicted with a screwdriver.

According to the victim's relatives, she was subjected to brutal torture before being murdered, and her body was subsequently hung from the bathroom shower to make the killing appear to be a suicide.

Police sources said the photographs were already in the custody of Rawalpindi police and had been included in the investigation record. However, the exact nature and causes of the injuries, as well as the sequence of events, will be established through forensic evidence and further investigation.

In a separate development, Shazia Bibi, a resident of Miana Gondal village in Mandi Bahauddin, has raised questions about domestic disputes between Hina Javed and her husband, Faisal Asghar, in a petition submitted to the Punjab chief minister.

She claimed that her son, Zeeshan, was forced at gunpoint to assist in Hina's murder. According to her, he was unwilling to participate in the crime but was compelled to carry out tasks under threat to his own life.

Shazia further claimed that she learned about Hina's murder 11 days after the incident.

In her application, she alleged that a local man, Tasawwar Abbas, approached her son after the incident, claiming that a theft had occurred at Ali Asghar's house, and took his national identity card. She said the actual nature of the incident was concealed from the family until Zeeshan's arrest, when they were informed of the circumstances.

Shazia urged the chief minister to take notice of the matter, order an impartial investigation into her son's alleged role and her claim that he had been forced to assist in the crime, and ensure that those actually responsible for Hina's murder were brought to justice and punished in accordance with the law.

The victim's family has already expressed a lack of confidence in the findings of the police investigation committee and demanded the formation of a judicial commission.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has maintained that the investigation into the murder is still underway and assured the family that no effort will be spared to ensure justice.