RAWALPINDI: The death of television anchorperson Rabia Ahsan at her Gulshanabad residence has become the subject of a criminal investigation after police registered a case against her husband, with an initial allegation of murder followed by statements attributed to family members describing the shooting as accidental.
Rabia died following a gunshot at her home off Adiala Road on November 8. Her husband, Ahsan Tahir, was taken into custody, while investigators recovered a .30-bore pistol which, according to the police account, he could not produce a licence for.
The case took a significant turn when Rabia’s brother and complainant, Khurram Ahmed, was reported to have said that the family considered her death an accident and intended to withdraw the proceedings. However, subsequent statements attributed to him disputed that a withdrawal decision had been made and called for investigators to establish the circumstances.
A Gunshot Inside the Bedroom
According to FIR No. 1231/26, registered at Saddar Bairooni police station, the incident occurred at approximately 2.30pm while Rabia and her husband were in their bedroom.
Khurram told police he was travelling from Islamabad to visit his sister when another sister telephoned him about the shooting. According to the account recorded in his complaint, Rabia’s mother and sister had been sitting in the lawn when they heard a gunshot.
Her sister entered the bedroom and found Rabia injured on the floor beside the bed, while her husband was holding a pistol, the FIR states.
Khurram said he reached the residence after receiving the call and found Rabia lying in the bedroom. He accused her husband of shooting her and requested legal action.
The FIR was registered on November 8 under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code and the relevant provision of Punjab’s arms legislation.
The complaint records what family members encountered immediately after the discharge. Khurram did not claim to have witnessed the shooting himself, while the account attributed to his sister describes her entering the room after hearing the shot.
Police Recover Pistol and Collect Evidence
City Police Officer Hassan Mushtaq Sukhera reached the residence following the incident, accompanied by senior operations and investigation officers. Punjab Forensic Science Agency personnel were called to collect evidence.
The police narrative in the FIR records the recovery of a .30-bore pistol and a spent cartridge case. It also attributes a statement to Ahsan acknowledging that he fired at his wife with the recovered weapon.
Police further recorded that Ahsan could not produce a licence or permit for the pistol, resulting in the inclusion of an arms offence in the case.
CPO Sukhera said the investigation would be conducted on merit.
Husband’s Account Describes an Accident
In the preliminary account attributed to him, Ahsan maintained that the weapon discharged accidentally and the bullet struck his wife.
Statements subsequently attributed to relatives also described the incident as accidental and said there had been no preceding dispute between the couple.
However, differing accounts have emerged about how the pistol came to be handled, including that it was discovered while clothes were being rearranged and that it discharged while the husband was handling it.
These explanations remain accounts requiring verification. Neither the absence of a reported argument nor the recovery of the weapon alone establishes how the discharge occurred or what the person holding it intended.
The firearm’s condition, the positions of those present and the medical evidence will be important in assessing the competing explanations.
Family’s Position Remains Unclear
The most significant development after registration of the FIR concerned the position of Rabia’s family.
Khurram was initially reported to have said that he, his mother and sister agreed that Rabia’s death was accidental and that the family intended to withdraw the case. A statement attributed to Rabia’s sister similarly indicated that the family did not wish to pursue proceedings.
Subsequent accounts, however, attributed a denial to Khurram, who was reported to have said that no withdrawal decision had been taken and that police should determine what happened inside the bedroom.
The available record does not establish whether these differences represent a change of position or a dispute over how the family’s comments were reported.
An intention expressed outside court should not be presented as a judicial conclusion. Investigators have also identified the alleged unlicensed possession of the pistol as a separate issue in the case.
Medical Findings and Court Proceedings
The FIR records injuries below the throat and on the right side of the back and states that Rabia’s body was sent to Benazir Bhutto Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
This differs from early accounts naming DHQ Hospital. The supplied police record identifies Benazir Bhutto Hospital.
Although completion of the post-mortem has been reported, the complete authenticated medical report was not available for review. The injuries described in the FIR should therefore not be treated as a substitute for the medical examiner’s findings on the bullet’s path and cause of death.
Ahsan was subsequently produced before a magistrate on November 9 and remanded into police custody for investigation. Published accounts differ over the precise duration of that remand; the written order was not available for verification.
His detention and the registration of the FIR do not constitute a finding of guilt.
Evidence Must Establish the Circumstances
Rabia, a television journalist associated with 92 News and known for her work on the current-affairs programme Muqabil, leaves behind two daughters.
The investigation must now reconcile the original complaint, the accidental-discharge account and the statements of those present at the residence.
Among the questions requiring answers are who witnessed the weapon being handled, whether the pistol’s mechanical condition supports the explanation offered, and whether the medical and ballistic findings are consistent with the witnesses’ accounts.
The circumstances of Rabia’s death remain unresolved in the material available for this report. A determination of criminal responsibility must rest on the evidence and judicial proceedings, rather than either the initial accusation or subsequent descriptions of the incident as an accident.
