ISLAMABAD: The autopsy report of 45-year-old woman found dead in an apartment in Rawalpindi revealed on Monday that her body bears multiple bruises, while the examination also revealed a ruptured neck bone.
Hina Javed was found dead in the bathroom of an apartment in Rawalpindi’s Lal Kurti area on Thursday morning under mysterious circumstances. Her brother Fahad Javed Malik told police that both of Javed’s hands were tied behind her back with a piece of cloth while her mouth was gagged. Malik told police that a wire wrapped around her neck was tied to the bath shower, while foam and blood were coming out of her mouth.
The family has accused Javed’s husband, Faisal Asghar Imam, his domestic worker, Zeeshan Arshad, and his father, Asghar Ali Fayyaz, of involvement in the killing. Javed married Imam in November 2025. Police have taken Imam and Arshad into custody for further questioning.
Malik accused Imam of routinely subjecting his sister to severe physical and psychological abuse, as per the police complaint, and alleged that Imam had also abused his previous wife.
As per a copy of the report, the postmortem was carried out on Aug. 20 at 2:50pm. The report was prepared by medico legal examiner Dr. Marya Khalid at the Benazir Bhutto Hospital in Rawlapindi.
“Multiple bruises on upper and lower limb and right iliac fossa,” the postmortem report said. “Hyoid bone ruptured.”
The hyoid bone is a tiny bone at the front of one’s neck, shaped like a crescent. The bone sits below one’s lower jaw and above the thoracic cartilage, the protective tissue that covers the vocal cords. An anatomical diagram of Javed’s body showed a ligature mark of 27 cm around her neck.
DNA samples were collected from the body and sent to the police, while other samples were also dispatched for examination to determine the cause of death.
The report said that the final opinion on the cause of death will be given after the Punjab Forensic Science Agency’s (PFSA) lab reports.
Violence against women remains widespread in Pakistan and is not confined to poorer or less educated households.
Police have registered Javed’s case under Sections 302 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which cover murder and criminal acts carried out by several people with a shared intention, and collected evidence from the apartment.
