TV anchorperson’s murder case: Brother withdraws FIR; postmortem report issued

RAWALPINDI: The brother of deceased television anchor Rabia Ahsan on Monday withdrew the FIR he had registered a day earlier, declaring the incident an accident.

Talking to a private television channel, the anchor’s brother stated that it was an accidental firing incident and that his brother-in-law did not open fire with the intention of murder.

He added that there was no dispute, fight, or scuffle between his sister and brother-in-law.

“My mother, another sister, two nieces, and a servant were present at the spot when the incident happened,” he said.

Following the brother’s statement, the police have shifted their investigation toward an accidental angle.

Earlier, a murder case had been registered against the husband of private news channel anchor Rabia Ahsan under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), following her death in a firing incident at her house in Rawalpindi.

According to police, the case was registered on the complaint of the deceased’s brother, Khurram, who had submitted an application for registration of a murder case at Saddar Bairooni Police Station.

In his complaint, Khurram stated that his other sister called him and informed him that Rabia Ahsan had been shot by her husband.

He said that when he reached the house, he found his sister lying in a pool of blood and she had already died.

According to initial police investigations, Rabia Ahsan had married her husband, Ahsan, 14 years ago. Her family members told police that there was no dispute or domestic discord between the couple and that they were living a happy married life.

The couple’s daughters, the deceased’s sister and her mother, also gave statements to police, saying that they had not witnessed any dispute between the husband and wife.

Meanwhile, initial details about the circumstances surrounding the firing have also emerged. According to the preliminary statement of a domestic worker, the family was arranging clothes in the house, putting away summer clothes in the cupboard and taking out winter clothes.

During the process, a 30-bore pistol was found among the clothes. The domestic worker told police that Ahsan picked up the weapon and waved it in his hand before a shot was fired accidentally.

Police said no statement indicating an argument or dispute between the couple at the time of the incident had emerged so far.

The initial post-mortem report of Rabia Ahsan has also been received. According to the report, the bullet struck the lower part of her neck from the front, causing her death.

Initial investigations further revealed that the pistol recovered from the crime scene was unlicensed.

Police said the investigation is underway and all possible motives behind the killing will be examined. Police will proceed after receiving the forensic laboratory reports.