The husband of a Pakistani television anchor was arrested Sunday after she was found inside her Rawalpindi home with a fatal gunshot wound to the head, officials said.
Rabiya Ahsan, 41, was reportedly killed at the residence, according to Punjab Information Minister Azma Zahid Bokhari.
Ahsan was a program host at 92 News, where she built a reputation as a committed journalist while working alongside senior newsroom colleagues. She also regularly shared videos discussing national issues on social media.
Authorities identified her husband as Ahsan Tahir Khan. He told investigators that he had been handling a firearm inside the home when it discharged accidentally, Bokhari said.
Television anchor Rabiya Ahsan appears in a video recorded before she was found fatally shot Sunday. (@rabiyaahsanofficial/Instagram)
Khan reportedly serves as a civil service official with the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation, a government organization that assists Pakistanis living overseas, The Express Tribune reported, citing police sources.
According to the report, police are expected to file a murder case against him.
Rawalpindi police confirmed on X that a woman died in a shooting Sunday but had not immediately released her identity.
Investigators said they recovered the firearm believed to be connected to the shooting after arresting Ahsan’s husband.
Ahsan’s remains were taken to a hospital, where a postmortem examination was scheduled.
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Ahsan was discovered dead at her home in Pakistan over the weekend. (@Rabiya_Ahsan/X)
Word of Ahsan’s death prompted an outpouring of sorrow from journalists and media professionals across Pakistan.
“I am deeply saddened to learn that our ex-colleague anchorperson Rabiya Ahsan is no longer with us,” a former colleague wrote on X.
Pakistan’s presidency also condemned the killing and urged authorities to conduct a transparent investigation so that those responsible can be held accountable.
“The First Lady has expressed deep sadness over the killing of journalist Rabia Ahsan and strongly condemned the violence,” the statement said, referring to First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari.
Rabiya Ahsan, 41, speaks to viewers in a social media video recorded before her death. (@Rabiya_Ahsan/X)
The first lady also raised alarm over what she called a “disturbing pattern” involving professional women in the same metropolitan area who were allegedly targeted and killed by their husbands.
According to Dawn, she cited the case of Hina Javed, a media executive found dead with apparent signs of torture three months earlier. Javed’s husband and a domestic worker were reportedly arrested in connection with that death.
“Such incidents demand serious attention and accountability. Women must be able to live and work without fear for their lives,” the Pakistani presidency said.
