ISLAMABAD: A 45-year-old woman was found dead with her hands bound and a wire around her neck inside an apartment in Rawalpindi, police and her family said , as relatives alleged she had faced domestic abuse.
Hina Javed was found in the bathroom of a second-floor apartment at local apartments in the Lalkurti area on Thursday morning, according to a First Information Report (FIR) filed with police.
The case came to light after Javed’s father-in-law called her brother, Fahad Javed Malik, early Thursday and told him there was an emergency, according to the complaint. Malik and other relatives went to the apartment and found Javed dead.
Malik told police that his sister’s hands had been tied behind her back with cloth and that her mouth had also been gagged. He said a wire was around her neck and attached to the bathroom shower.
Javed’s family accused her husband, Faisal Asghar Imam, his domestic worker, Zeeshan Arshad, and his father, Asghar Ali Fayyaz, of involvement in the killing. Javed married Imam in November 2025.
Malik told media that his sister had previously complained of repeated physical and psychological abuse during the marriage. He said Javed worked for a semi-government organization, while her husband had been unemployed at times.
In the police complaint, Malik alleged that Imam routinely subjected Javed to severe physical and psychological abuse. He also alleged that Imam had abused a previous wife, who eventually sought a divorce.
Police registered the case under Sections 302 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code, relating to murder and acts committed by multiple people with a shared intention. Investigators collected evidence from the apartment.
Javed’s body was taken to Benazir Bhutto Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Police said they were searching for the suspects.
Civil Lines police station chief Asif Sajjad told media that the investigation was ongoing and no arrests had been made. He declined to provide further details while the inquiry was underway.
Violence against women remains a widespread concern in Pakistan and affects households across socioeconomic groups. One of the country’s most prominent recent cases was the 2021 murder of Noor Mukadam, 27, in an upscale Islamabad neighborhood.
The Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of her killer, Zahir Jaffer, in 2025 and rejected his review petition in June 2026.
