RAWALPINDI: Police have brought Ahsan Tahir, the husband and suspect in the murder of television anchorperson Rabia Ahsan, back to Rawalpindi after taking him to Lahore for DNA testing and initiating the process for a polygraph examination.
Rabia, who was associated with 92 News, was found shot dead in her bedroom at her residence in the Gulshanabad area off Adiala Road on November 8.
Police said Ahsan’s DNA test had been completed at the Punjab Forensic Science Laboratory (PFSA) in Lahore, while a request for his polygraph examination had been submitted to the laboratory. Investigators had taken him to Lahore after he allegedly gave contradictory statements during interrogation.
The suspect is currently on a four-day physical remand, with Thursday marking the third day of his remand, police said.
Investigators have also deposited seven parcels containing evidence linked to the killing with the forensic laboratory. Four mobile phones belonging to the deceased and the suspect have been submitted for analysis, which will include extracting and transcribing data and communications from the devices.
Police sources said a separate mobile phone allegedly used for business purposes had also been sent for forensic examination. Investigators have decided to examine Rabia’s business dealings and professional contacts as part of efforts to explore all possible aspects of the case.
The investigation is focused on reconstructing the sequence of events, examining digital evidence and determining whether the suspect’s statements are consistent with forensic findings and other available evidence.
Police have not publicly disclosed the results of the DNA examination or the forensic analysis of the mobile phones and other evidence.
According to police sources, Ahsan told investigators that he had pointed a locally made pistol at Rabia as a joke and loaded its chamber, claiming that a bullet was discharged without the trigger being pressed and struck her in the neck. A domestic servant was also reportedly present in the room at the time. Sources said there had been no quarrel between the couple.
Earlier, Rabia’s family expressed its intention to withdraw the murder case against Ahsan. Her sister, Alveena, told Hum News Digital that the family was in the process of withdrawing the case and described the killing as “110 per cent accidental”.
“I don’t even feel that we have filed any case,” she said, adding that the family had no intention of pursuing it.
Alveena said the family was going through severe trauma and needed time to recover before giving a detailed account of the incident. She also criticised media coverage, alleging that statements made by family members out of sympathy had been presented differently.
The murder case was registered a day after Rabia was found dead at her home. The FIR, numbered 1231/26, was lodged at Saddar Bairooni Police Station under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 13-2(a) of the Punjab Arms (Amendment) Ordinance 2015, relating to possession of an unlicensed weapon.
The complainant is Rabia’s brother, Khurram Ahmad, a Capital Development Authority employee residing in Islamabad. According to the FIR, he was on his way to visit his sister when Alveena called him and informed him about the shooting.
The FIR states that Alveena and their mother were sitting in the lawn while Rabia and her husband were in their bedroom when they heard a gunshot at around 2:30pm. They rushed inside and found Rabia lying in a pool of blood beside the bed, with a pistol in Ahsan’s hand.
Khurram alleged in the complaint that Ahsan had shot and killed his sister and requested legal action.
The FIR records two blood-stained wounds, one below the throat at the front and another on the right side of the back. A Punjab Forensic Science Agency crime scene team collected evidence, while the body was shifted to Benazir Bhutto Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
Police also recovered a 30-bore pistol from Ahsan, who was unable to produce a licence or permit for the weapon, according to the FIR. The circumstances surrounding Rabia’s death remain under investigation.
