RAWALPINDI: The physical remand of the husband of anchorperson Rabia Ahsan, who was shot dead at home in the Gulshanabad area earlier in the week, was extended by four days by a court on Tuesday.
The suspect, Ahsan, was produced before Senior Civil Judge Muhammad Nasrullah Wattoo on Tuesday after completion of his one-day physical remand.
During the hearing, the investigating officer informed the court about the progress made in the investigation. He urged the court to extend the remand by seven days in order to interrogate the suspect and complete the investigation.
After examining the record and hearing the accused, the court observed that he had been nominated in the first information report (FIR) and that a pistol had also been recovered from him.
The court subsequently extended the remand by four days to facilitate the investigation and directed the investigating officer to produce the accused on Nov 14. The court also directed the police to complete the investigation and submit the relevant record.
No lawyer appeared on behalf of the suspect during Tuesday’s proceedings.
Meanwhile, it emerged that police had decided to conduct a polygraph (lie-detector) test of the suspect, amid alleged inconsistencies in his statements during the investigation.
According to the application seeking his physical remand, the polygraph test was scheduled to be conducted at the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) in Lahore on Wednesday (Nov 11).
Investigators expected to receive its report on Saturday, which they said may help them establish the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Rabia, who was associated with 92 News and had previously co-hosted a current affairs programme with senior journalists Amir Mateen and Rauf Klasra, was shot dead at her residence in the Gulshanabad area on Nov 8.
According to the FIR registered at Saddar Beruni police station on the complaint of her brother, Khurram Ahmed, the victim’s mother and sister were present at the house when they heard a gunshot from the bedroom.
The complainant stated that his sister, who was living at the house along with their mother, rushed towards the bedroom after hearing the gunshot and found Rabia lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Her husband was allegedly standing nearby, holding a pistol.
Meanwhile, amid reports that the complainant had decided to withdraw the murder case, a senior officer told Dawn that it was now up to the trial court to decide whether to accept the request to withdrawal the case, if such a request was filed.
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