New photos deepen Hina Javed murder probe

Fresh revelations have emerged in the high-profile Hina Javed murder case, with additional photographs showing injuries to the victim’s body raising serious questions about the circumstances surrounding her death. Police say the exact nature and causes of the injuries, and the sequence of events, will be established through forensic evidence and further investigation.

Hina Javed, 45, was found dead at her residence in Rawalpindi’s Lal Kurti area on 20 August 2026. Police later arrested her husband, Faisal Asghar, and their domestic worker, Zeeshan Arshad, in connection with the case. Both men remain suspects in an ongoing investigation, and no court has yet determined guilt.

The new photographs, described in the Tribune report, show the victim’s body hanging from a shower in a bathroom, with injuries to her face and wounds on her elbow. According to the victim’s relatives, the injuries point to brutal torture before death, and to an attempt to make the killing appear to be a suicide. Those claims are allegations by the family, and they have not been confirmed by forensic findings.

What the new photographs show

One photograph shows the victim’s 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, according to the report.

Another photograph shows deep wounds on her lips. There are also allegations that her neck was twisted with considerable force. A photograph of her right elbow shows five puncture-like wounds, which her family suspects may have been inflicted with a screwdriver.

Police sources said the photographs were already in the custody of Rawalpindi police and had been included in the investigation record. That detail matters. It means the photographs are not new evidence discovered outside the investigation, but material already held by investigators that has now come to wider attention.

Investigators have cautioned against drawing final conclusions from photographs alone. The post-mortem examination, carried out about 12 hours after her death, found a fracture to a bone in her neck, injuries to her ribs and hip area, and blood around the heart. It did not immediately establish a definite cause of death, and the final cause is expected to follow forensic results.

A mother’s appeal to the chief minister

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

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

She 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 was forced to assist in the crime, and ensure that those actually responsible for the murder were brought to justice. These are her claims, made in a petition, and they have not been tested in court.

Why the family wants a judicial commission

Hina Javed’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. The family has raised questions about the handling of forensic evidence, including DNA evidence and the examination of mobile phones, and has alleged that important messages were deleted from Hina’s phone.

On 30 September, the Punjab government formed a three-member high-powered committee headed by Additional Inspector General Sohail Zafar Chattha to review the case after forensic reports were received. The family has said it does not accept that committee’s findings.

• The Express Tribune, “Hina murder probe deepens” (29 October 2026): https://tribune.com.pk/story/2637509/hina-murder-probe-deepens
• Geo News, “In letter to Punjab CM, Hina Javed’s family seeks judicial probe into murder case” (25 October 2026): https://www.geo.tv/latest/688178-in-letter-to-punjab-cm-hina-javeds-family-seeks-judicial-probe-into-murder-case