‘A killer can lie but DNA cannot’: Hina Javed’s family demands judicial probe into murder

ISLAMABAD: The family of Hina Javed, who was found dead at her residence on August 20, has rejected the Punjab Police investigation into her alleged murder, accusing investigators of overlooking DNA evidence and shielding individuals named in the case.

Addressing a press conference at the National Press Club (NPC) on Saturday, Hina’s brother and the case’s complainant, Fahd Javed, demanded the immediate formation of a judicial commission, saying the family had lost confidence in the police and the high-level committee constituted by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

“A killer can lie but DNA cannot lie,” Javed said, alleging that DNA belonging to Hina’s husband, Faisal Asghar Imam, had been recovered from four locations, including her neck, bedsheet and a door lock.

“How can someone’s DNA be found and the police still declare him innocent?” he questioned, alleging that investigators had failed to include Faisal’s name in the challan despite the forensic findings.

Javed also alleged that DNA belonging to Hina’s father-in-law had been recovered from her neck, questioning why he had not been subjected to further investigation.

‘Treated as a guest, not a suspect’

Javed said Hina had worked at the National Assembly for nine years and had recently secured a position as a media executive at the President House, but died before she could take up the role.

Recalling the morning of August 20, he said Hina’s father-in-law, Colonel Fayyaz, telephoned him at 6:53am and described the situation as a “small emergency”.

When he reached the house, police were already present and Hina’s body was found hanging in the bathroom. Javed alleged that his sister had suffered a broken neck, injuries to her jaw and marks on her elbows.

He said Faisal and his father initially claimed that two burglars had entered the house and killed her.

“From the very first day, the investigating team, from the police to the high-level committee, treated Faisal Asghar Imam as a guest rather than a suspect,” he alleged.

Javed said the first information report (FIR) named Faisal, his father and a domestic worker, Zeeshan, but accused investigators of focusing their attention on Zeeshan.

“The FIR named three people from the first day, but the police could only see one of them. The other two were invisible to them,” he said.

He further alleged that the father-in-law had falsely presented the incident as a robbery to conceal the circumstances of Hina’s death. Javed also referred to an earlier press conference by the Rawalpindi regional police officer, claiming that police had initially suspected an attempt to portray the killing as suicide.

‘She told the witness Faisal would kill her’

Raising questions about the handling of potential evidence, Javed said Hina’s elder sister, Nadia, possessed text and voice messages detailing difficulties in Hina’s marriage.

He alleged that investigators had neither properly examined those messages nor recorded Nadia’s statement.

“All those messages were deleted from Hina’s phone, and to this day nobody has told us who deleted them or when,” he said.

According to Javed, forensic reports concerning Hina’s mobile phone and Faisal’s laptop were still awaited. He also claimed that Hina had met a woman shortly before her death and discussed her marriage in detail.

“Hina told this witness, ‘Please don’t tell Faisal about these things because he will kill me,'” Javed said, recounting what he understood Hina had told the woman.

He alleged that police had failed to record the witness’s statement, despite the family’s repeated requests.

Javed further claimed that a relative of Faisal had sent messages suggesting forensic evidence would implicate Zeeshan even before the results were available. He questioned how such claims could have been made so early in the investigation.

Family calls for judicial commission

Javed said his family initially avoided speaking publicly because they had been advised to trust the authorities.

“We were told to have faith in the police, the system and the legal process. But now we have lost all faith in the police and the investigation,” he said.

He appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Field Marshal Asim Munir to ensure an independent inquiry.

“We reject the findings of the high-level committee. We demand that a judicial commission be formed immediately and that justice be provided,” Javed said.

He also demanded that complete DNA, fingerprint, mobile phone and laptop forensic reports be shared with the family and that the three individuals named in the FIR be included in the challan.

Another participant at the press conference criticised the handling of cases involving violence against women, arguing that police should not determine a suspect’s innocence before the evidence was examined in court.

“They have already become the judge, jury and executioner, saying that he is innocent. That should be determined when the evidence is presented and examined in court,” the participant said.

The family maintained that it wanted the case to proceed through an independent judicial process, with all available evidence and witness accounts properly examined.