Punjab Forms High-Level Panel to Reinvestigate Hina Javed Murder Case

The Punjab government has formed a high-level investigation committee to conduct a fresh review of the Hina Javed murder case in Rawalpindi. The development marks a major new step in a case that has drawn public attention after the victim's family raised concerns about the direction and handling of the investigation.

The committee will be headed by Counter-Terrorism Department Director General Sohail Zafar Chattha. Lahore Deputy Inspector General Shoaib Khurram and the Rawalpindi Senior Superintendent of Police Investigation have also been included as members of the panel, giving the review a senior police and investigation-level structure.

The committee is expected to arrive in Rawalpindi this week under the supervision of Sohail Zafar Chattha. Its mandate includes examining the investigation already carried out, reviewing the case record and assessing whether the available evidence and proceedings have been handled properly so far.

As part of the reinvestigation process, the panel will review the post-mortem report, statements of suspects and other case proceedings. It is also expected to visit the crime scene to assess the progress made by investigators and evaluate the evidence collected during the earlier stages of the inquiry.

The committee is also likely to meet the family of Hina Javed in Rawalpindi. The family's concerns have remained a central part of the case, particularly after they publicly questioned the direction of the investigation earlier this month and sought intervention from relevant authorities.

The murder case is registered at Civil Lines Police Station in Rawalpindi. Hina Javed's husband and her personal employee are currently held at Adiala Jail on judicial remand in connection with the case, while the renewed review is expected to look at the material already placed before investigators.

On September 11, the victim's family alleged that the investigation was being diverted toward a domestic worker instead of the main suspect. They claimed the shift in focus was an attempt to conceal the actual facts surrounding the killing, and they later sent formal letters to the Chairman of the National Commission for Human Rights, the Ministry of Law and a parliamentary caucus committee.

In those letters, the family raised concerns over the handling of the probe, including allegations that a bloodstained sheet recovered from the crime scene was handed to Hina Javed's father-in-law instead of being taken into police custody. They also alleged that chats and messages between Hina Javed and her sister were deleted from the victim's phone. The new committee's findings will be closely watched as the family continues to demand a transparent and credible investigation.