WDF Calls for Transparent Investigations into All Cases, Including Hina Javed’s Murder, and Demands Justice for Victims
ISLAMABAD (City Reporter): The Women’s Democratic Front (WDF) has declared a nationwide “Femicide Emergency” over the rising number of killings of women and incidents of gender-based violence in Pakistan. The organization demanded a complete and transparent investigation into the murder of Hina Javed, the arrest of all nominated and allegedly involved suspects, and justice for the victims.
Addressing a press conference at the National Press Club Islamabad, WDF leaders, along with Sabah Bano Malik, cousin of Hina Javed and family spokesperson, said that 45-year-old digital media professional Hina Javed was allegedly tied up and strangled to death at her home in Rawalpindi on August 20, with an attempt allegedly made to portray the incident as suicide.
Her husband and a domestic employee have already been arrested, while her father-in-law, who was nominated in the FIR, has yet to be arrested.
Sabah Bano Malik said Hina Javed was a self-respecting and sensitive woman who also cared for her parents. She demanded that every person allegedly involved in the murder or concealment of evidence be brought to justice and that a transparent, forensic-based investigation be ensured.
WDF Federal Secretary for Education Zoya Rehman said the state must take coordinated and effective nationwide measures against the killing of women and domestic violence. She stressed that domestic violence should not be treated as a private or family matter but as a serious threat requiring immediate intervention.
She called for police to be required to conduct an immediate risk assessment following every complaint and demanded that women facing violence be provided with immediate protection, legal assistance, safe accommodation and financial support.
She also called for the establishment of a National Femicide Register containing records of previous complaints, the relationship between victims and accused persons, legal proceedings and their outcomes. She said the data should be regularly made available to the public.
WDF Islamabad-Rawalpindi Unit General Secretary Anam Rathore said that despite hundreds of women being killed within six months, the state could not remain limited to issuing condolence statements.
The speakers, citing Sahil’s “Six Months Cruel Numbers Report,” said that 3,172 incidents of gender-based violence were recorded through media monitoring in Pakistan during the first six months of 2026. These included 644 killings and 132 so-called honour killings.
According to the speakers, these figures only represent cases reported in the media, suggesting that the actual scale of gender-based violence may be greater.
WDF Deputy General Secretary and lawyer Neha Tauseef said that despite the existence of laws against domestic violence, their implementation remains extremely weak.
She called for police to be legally required to conduct immediate risk assessments following every complaint and take practical protective measures. She also demanded the establishment of an effective mechanism for reinvestigating suspicious suicides involving women who had a history of domestic violence.
Rida Rashid appealed to trade unions, student organizations, women’s organizations and democratic movements to support a joint struggle and charter aimed at ending killings and violence against women and transgender persons.