RAWALPINDI/ LAHORE: The victim’s family in the Hina Javed murder case has written an open letter to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, again expressing their mistrust in the police investigation and calling for the formation of a judicial commission to probe the matter, it emerged on Sunday.
Hina, a 45-year-old digital media executive, was found dead at her residence in Rawalpindi in August, with police noting signs of torture. Her husband and their domestic worker were arrested as Hina’s family accused them of murdering her while her father-in-law was questioned as part of the investigation.
Earlier, her family had written to the National Commission on Human Rights, requesting intervention in the investigation of the murder case and alleging that the probe was compromised.
On Saturday, when the Punjab CM was asked on X to look into the case, she responded: “I am keeping a close watch. The DNA test results and polygraph test suggest that the murder and rape were committed by the servant; however the investigation is ongoing.”
In their letter, Hina’s family referred to Maryam’s post, claiming that the investigation “continues to shift blame away from” the victim’s husband.
“We, the family of the late Hina Javed, write to you publicly because every effort to reach you directly has failed,” the letter began.
It added: “The extent and brutality of torture […] tells you everything you need to know about this murder. It tells you about the rage and hate that went into it.”
In its letter, the family said it had shared its concerns, reservations and objections regarding the police investigation committee probing the case and “we also tried repeatedly to meet or speak with you, but we were never able to reach you.”
Referring to CM Maryam’s latest post on X, it claimed the DNA of Hina’s husband and father-in-law was found on her body.
And the forensic reports of her husband’s laptop, as well as those of his and the domestic worker’s mobile phones, were pending; pertinent messages were deleted from Hina’s mobile; and the investigation “continues to shift blame away from” Hina’s husband and “points solely towards the domestic servant who is also guilty and party to the murder”, the family alleged.
It also accused Hina’s husband of “planting evidence” in the case.
According to the postmortem and DNA report analysis, evidence collected during the investigation indicated that Hina had been brutally tortured.
The postmortem report noted blue marks on her hands and arms and a wound on her neck. Forensic evidence collected from the crime scene also matched the DNA samples of her husband and domestic servant, according to the DNA analysis report.
The report said that the Y-STR profile — a DNA test that examines the Y chromosome — from Hina’s clothes found a mixture of DNA from at least three individuals, and her husband, father-in-law and domestic servant could not be excluded as contributors.
The family requested CM Maryam to look into the case file in detail and see the evidence linking Hina’s husband “to the murder being ignored from day one”.
The family also objected to the police investigation committee being “allowed to declare who is guilty and who is innocent before the case has gone to trial”.
“That decision belongs to a court of law, not to the investigators. A body that both investigates and pronounces a verdict has a clear conflict of interest, and we have no confidence that justice will be served this way,” the family asserted.
It rejected the findings of the police investigation committee and reiterated its demand for the immediate formation of a judicial commission for an “impartial investigation” of the murder case.
“As a woman and as the chief executive of this province, we appeal to you to ensure that her killers are not shielded and that her family receives justice under the law,” the letter concluded.
Last month, the Punjab government constituted a three-member high-powered committee to review the investigation into the murder, in which Hina’s husband and domestic servant have been sent on judicial remand.
The committee has already visited Rawalpindi, questioned the deceased woman’s husband and domestic servant at Adiala Jail, met her family and inspected the crime scene.
Separately, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control has summoned the Punjab inspector general of police and other senior police officials to brief it on the investigation.
The committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Oct 29 at 2pm in the committee room at Parliament House, Islamabad.
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