Pakistani TV anchorperson Rabia Ahsan shot dead

Pakistani TV anchor Rabia Ahsan was gunned down in her home in Rawalpindi on Sunday night. Police took her husband into custody and recovered a suspected weapon, according to the Pakistan Today (PTI) outlet, which reported citing the Dawn newspaper. Ahsan was a well-known anchor and programme host for a local private TV channel in Pakistan.

Police officer Hassan Mushtaq Sukhera confirmed that her husband had been detained and the suspected firearm seized. The police are now investigating the incident. Sukhera visited the crime scene alongside forensic experts, the senior superintendent of police (SSP) for operations, and the SSP for investigations.

A male domestic worker at Ahsan's residence told the police that her husband claimed the gunshot was accidental. Forensic teams from the Punjab Forensic Science Agency were gathering evidence from the scene, and the body was taken to a hospital for a postmortem examination. The police have filed a case and will conduct an investigation on merit.

First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari expressed deep sorrow over the murder of Ahsan and called for a fair, impartial, and transparent investigation to uncover the truth and ensure the perpetrators are held accountable. She lamented the disturbing trend of violence against professional women in the city, recalling the August murder of Hina Javed, a 45-year-old digital media executive who was found dead at her Rawalpindi home with signs of torture. The investigation into Javed's case was still pending.