Police in Rawalpindi have named Zeeshan Arshad as the main suspect in the killing of Hina Javed, 45. A reporting team that checked official records and spoke with people in his home district of Mandi Bahauddin found no earlier case or complaint against him. The Hina Javed case now depends partly on whether police can support their public account of his past with evidence that is open to scrutiny.
Village records and witness accounts
The team visited Zeeshan's native village and reviewed the record kept at Miana Gondal police station. That record holds no previous case or complaint against him, and local officers did not confirm that any such file exists. A local police official told the team that the absence of a past case does not, by itself, show that a suspect is innocent.
Officers at the station first seemed unaware of the Hina Javed case and later mentioned news coverage of it. They said the investigating team had not been in touch with them. The reporting team also found no sign that investigators had taken statements from village residents, and it could not establish how far investigators had examined his background.
Qari Mushtaq, who taught Zeeshan at the religious seminary he attended for about two to two and a half years, said he did not believe Zeeshan was involved in immoral or unnatural acts or could commit such a grave crime. Anas, a shopkeeper who said he had known Zeeshan for around five years, acknowledged minor fights and disputes. However, he rejected the police claim about Zeeshan sharing pictures or clips with acquaintances, saying Zeeshan had never sent him any such material.
Muhammad Rafiq Bhatti, a retired member of the Pakistan Air Force who runs a travel agency, said Zeeshan had been employed by him for some time. He said he had known Zeeshan since childhood, had heard of no complaint about his behaviour, and knew of no link to illegal activity. Bhatti rejected the police allegations. He said Zeeshan came from a poor but religious family, whose grandfather once led prayers at the village mosque, and that relatives had to leave the area to find work. He said he did not know what happened in Rawalpindi but trusted Zeeshan and his family.
Muhammad Saleem, who owns a bookshop, said Zeeshan had worked for him for a while and described him as upright and well-behaved. He said he had observed no improper behaviour from him. Haji Shahbaz, a barber in the village, called him a regular customer with a calm temperament who rarely got into fights. Local councillor Muhammad Mansha said he had never noticed any misconduct by Zeeshan, described the family as respectable, and said he was ready to answer for any local complaint against Zeeshan or his household.
Hiring checks and the police case
Tasawwar, who arranged Zeeshan's job at Hina Javed's home, declined to speak on camera. He told the reporting team that Zeeshan had been hired about seven months earlier, after a background check run through Kamil Asghar, the victim's brother-in-law. That check also asked for Zeeshan's domicile certificate, a document proving his residence, and his father's national identity card. According to Tasawwar, the job was given only once those checks were completed.
Rawalpindi police, who are leading the Rawalpindi murder case, have named Zeeshan as the main suspect. They base this on what they call his past tendencies and on forensic reports, which are laboratory findings. Police say he has confessed to several crimes, but the forensic reports have not been made public, and the victim's family has asked for their release.
Almost three months on from the killing, the challan, or formal charge sheet, had still not been filed in court. Finding no earlier case does not prove innocence, and it does not prove guilt either. The account of Zeeshan's past given in public has not yet been matched by evidence that police have released, and the outcome will depend on what the forensic reports and the charge sheet show.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Rawalpindi mein Hina Javed ke qatl ke case mein police ne ghar mein kaam karne wale Zeeshan Arshad ko main mulzim qarar diya hai. Mandi Bahauddin mein us ke gaon ke police record mein koi pehla case ya shikayat nahi mili, aur gaon ke kai logon ne us ke kirdar ko achha bataya hai. Police ka kehna hai ke us ne kai jurm qabool kiye hain, lekin forensic reports abhi public nahi hui hain. Is ka matlab hai ke saboot samne aane aur challan adalat mein jama hone tak poori kahani abhi mukammal nahi.
