TV anchor Rabia Ehsan shot dead at Rawalpindi home; husband in police custody

Well-known television anchor and news presenter Rabia Ehsan was shot dead at her home in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. She was 41 and lived in the Gulshanabad area of the city.

Rabia worked as an anchor with the major channel 92 News. Journalists and the media community across Pakistan are in a state of fear and mourning after the incident.

The incident took place at her house in Sector 2 of Gulshanabad (Adiala Road). On receiving information, a large police contingent reached the spot, led by Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) Hasan Mushtaq Sukhera, along with the SSP Operations and the SSP Investigations.

According to police, Rabia's body was found in the bedroom, drenched in blood. A team of the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) immediately collected scientific evidence and samples from the spot. The body has been sent to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital for a post-mortem.

Police have taken Rabia's husband, Ehsan Tahir, into custody. A pistol suspected of having been used in the incident has also been seized. The husband claims the pistol went off accidentally while he was handling or playing with it, and the bullet hit Rabia. The claim is based on the statement of a domestic worker and preliminary investigation.

Police did not immediately accept the claim of an accident and have begun detailed questioning. Proceedings to register a murder case have begun at Sadar Bairuni Police Station. How the shot was fired will become clear only after the forensic and post-mortem reports are received.

Pakistan's First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari expressed deep grief over the incident and strongly condemned the killing. According to an official statement issued by the President's office, Aseefa demanded a fair, transparent and thorough investigation and strict action against those responsible.

Aseefa also voiced serious concern over the safety of women in Rawalpindi. She also recalled the killing in August of Hina Javed, a 45-year-old digital media executive in Rawalpindi. Hina Javed's body was found in suspicious circumstances at her home, with marks of torture on it. The targeting of working women one after another in Rawalpindi has raised questions about law and order.