Pakistani TV anchorperson Rabia Ahsan shot dead at home in Rawalpindi

Pakistani anchorperson Rabia Ahsan was shot dead at her home in Rawalpindi, with police taking her husband into custody and seizing the suspected weapon, PTI reported citing Dawn newspaper.

Ahsan worked as an anchor and programme host with a local private TV channel in Pakistan. She was found dead at her home in the Gulshanabad area of the city late on Sunday.

City Police Officer (CPO) Hassan Mushtaq Sukhera said the anchor's husband had been taken into custody and the suspected weapon has been seized. The police has launched an investigation into the matter.


According to the report, Sukhera visited the crime scene with a team of forensic experts, along with the senior superintendent of police (SSP) operations and the SSP investigations.

A male domestic worker at the Rabia Ahsan's house told police that the victim's husband had claimed that the gunshot was fired accidentally.

The official said teams from the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) were collecting evidence from the scene, while the body was being taken to a hospital for postmortem examination. The police has registered a case and an investigation would be conducted on merit.

First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari expressed deep sadness over the killing of Rabia Ahsan and strongly condemned the violence.

She called for a thorough, impartial and transparent investigation to establish the facts and ensure that those responsible were held accountable, a statement issued by the Presidency said.

Bhutto-Zardari also expressed concern over what she described as a "disturbing pattern of killing of another professional woman in the same metropolitan area", the report said, as the leader recalled the murder of Hina Javed, a 45-year-old digital media executive who was found dead at her Rawalpindi residence in August with signs of torture, and noted that the outcome of the investigation into the case was still awaited.


(With inputs from PTI)