Police to conduct polygraph test of Rabia Ahsan’s husband over conflicting statements

RAWALPINDI: Police have decided to conduct a polygraph test of Ahsan Tahir, the husband of slain television anchorperson Rabia Ahsan, after he allegedly gave conflicting statements during investigation, sources said on Tuesday.

The test is scheduled to be conducted in Lahore on Wednesday, with investigators hoping to use it to clarify details surrounding the shooting. Police expect to receive the test report on Saturday, the sources said.

Separately, a Rawalpindi court on Tuesday granted police four-day physical remand of Ahsan, who was produced before a senior civil judge after completing his earlier one-day remand.

The investigating officer had sought a 10-day remand, but the court directed police to produce the suspect again on November 13 after completing further investigation.

The court also sought a complete investigation report and the post-mortem report at the next hearing. No lawyer appeared on behalf of the accused.

Police took Ahsan back into custody following the hearing.

Rabia was found shot dead in her bedroom at her home in Rawalpindi’s Gulshanabad area, off Adiala Road, on Sunday. Her husband was taken into custody after the incident and booked in a murder case.

Earlier, police registered a murder case against the husband, a day after Rabia was found shot dead inside her home in Rawalpindi’s Gulshanabad area.

According to police sources, Ahsan told investigators that he had pointed a locally made pistol at Rabia as a joke and loaded its chamber, after which a bullet was discharged and struck her in the neck. A domestic servant was also present in the room, the sources said, adding that the couple had not quarreled before the shooting.

Rabia Ahsan’s family to withdraw case against husband

The development comes amid the family’s stated reluctance to pursue the case. Rabia’s sister, Alveena, told Hum News on Monday that the family was in the process of withdrawing the case and described the death as “110 per cent accidental”.

However, police have said the family cannot simply withdraw the registered murder case. Any request for forgiveness or compromise would have to be dealt with by the court in accordance with the law.

Police have also said a separate case relating to possession of an unlicensed weapon would be pursued.

Police will submit the challan to the court, the sources said, adding that the case for possessing an illegal weapon would be pursued even if the family forgave the accused.

Under Pakistani law, a complainant cannot simply take back a registered FIR. Murder under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code can be compounded: during the trial, the victim’s legal heirs may forgive the accused with the court’s permission. The weapons charge is a separate offence prosecuted by the state.

Usman Gul, a Supreme Court lawyer who practises criminal law, told Hum News that when an unlicensed weapon is used, the case legally falls under Section 302 and cannot be treated as “qatl-bil-khata”, or killing by mistake, under Sections 319 and 320.

What the FIR says

The case (FIR No 1231/26) was registered at Saddar Bairooni police station under Section 302 of the PPC and Section 13-2(a) of the Punjab Arms (Amendment) Ordinance 2015, which deals with possessing an unlicensed weapon.

The complainant is Rabia’s brother, Khurram Ahmad. According to the FIR, Khurram, a Capital Development Authority (CDA) employee who lives in Islamabad, was on his way to visit Rabia when their sister Alveena phoned him.

Alveena lives with their mother near Rabia’s house in Gulshanabad, off Adiala Road. She told him that at about 2:30pm, she and their mother were sitting in the lawn while Rabia and her husband were in their bedroom when they heard a gunshot. They ran inside and found Rabia lying in a pool of blood on the floor beside the bed, with a pistol in Ahsan’s hand, the FIR states.

“Ahsan has killed my sister by shooting her,” Khurram alleged in the complaint, asking for legal action.

The police section of the FIR records two blood-stained wounds: one at the front, below the throat, and the other on the right side of the back. A Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) crime scene unit collected evidence, and the body was sent to Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) for a post-mortem. Police recovered a 30-bore pistol from Ahsan Tahir, who could not produce a licence or permit for it, the FIR says.