Journalist Rabia Ahsan's husband sent for polygraph test

Court grants four-day physical remand of accused, directs police to complete investigation & produce suspect on Nov 13

RAWALPINDI:

A Rawalpindi court on Tuesday granted four-day physical remand of Ahsan Tahir, husband of slain anchorperson and journalist Rabia Ahsan, as police prepared to conduct his polygraph test in Lahore to verify his account of the fatal shooting.

Rabia, a 41-year-old anchorperson associated with 92 News, was found shot dead at her home in Rawalpindi on Sunday. Her husband was taken into custody in connection with the incident, which prompted an outpouring of grief from colleagues and members of the journalist community. The court on Monday had granted police a one-day physical remand of the suspect.

Senior Civil Judge Muhammad Nasrullah Wattoo handed over the suspect to Saddar Beruni police for further investigation and directed them to produce him before the court again on November 13, along with a detailed investigation report and the post-mortem report.

During the hearing, police told the court that the suspect's statement had been recorded under Section 161 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), in which he acknowledged that the shooting had occurred but maintained that it was accidental rather than intentional.

According to police sources, Ahsan told investigators that he and Rabia had been taking winter clothes for themselves and their children out of a cupboard at their Gulshanabad home on Adiala Road on Sunday when a pistol fell out of the clothes and discharged accidentally.

He reportedly expressed deep remorse over the incident and maintained that there had been no premeditation or conspiracy to kill his wife. He also claimed that his daughters were present at home and could corroborate his account. The suspect also voluntarily handed over the pistol to police.

During Tuesday's hearing, police sought a seven-day physical remand, telling the court that the suspect's polygraph test would be conducted at a forensic laboratory in Lahore. Investigators also sought to establish through forensic examination whether the bullet had been fired from the pistol recovered from the suspect.

The court granted a four-day remand instead. Police said the polygraph examination would help assess the suspect's account and that its findings would be included in the investigation report.

A polygraph test records physiological responses, including changes in heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and sweating. However, it cannot independently establish whether a statement is true or false.

Meanwhile, preliminary post-mortem findings confirmed that Rabia had sustained a single gunshot wound below the neck, with the bullet exiting through her back. No signs of physical violence were found on her body.

Samples collected during the post-mortem examination have been sent to a forensic laboratory in Lahore. The pistol and bullet casing have also been forwarded for forensic analysis to determine whether the recovered weapon was used in the shooting.

Khurram Ahmed has also dismissed reports that the family intends to withdraw the murder case, maintaining that no such decision has been taken.

Police sources further said that a 15-year-old domestic worker, who had been hired around two weeks before the incident, had been sent back to his home.

Read More: Anchorperson shot dead at home in Rawalpindi, husband arrested

The case was registered at the police station on the complaint of Rabia's brother, Khurram Ahmed, who accused Ahsan of shooting his sister at their home in Gulshanabad Sector II, on Adiala Road, on Sunday.

According to the FIR, Rabia's mother and sister were in the lawn at around 2:30pm when they heard a gunshot from the bedroom. Her sister rushed inside and found Rabia lying on the floor in a pool of blood, while Ahsan was holding a pistol.

The FIR stated that Ahsan told police he had fired at his wife with the same weapon. Police said he had failed to produce a licence or permit for the pistol. The case was registered under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 13(2)(a) of the Punjab Arms Amendment Ordinance.

Rabia had presented her last programme on a mainstream television channel on Saturday night. Police sources said her mother and sisters had also been at the house when the incident occurred.

The suspect was a grade-18 officer at the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation, according to police sources. Rabia was survived by two daughters and also ran a private salon in Islamabad.

A team from the Punjab Forensic Science Agency collected evidence from the crime scene. Her body was shifted to a hospital for a post-mortem examination.