June 14, 2024
Staff Report
LAHORE:
The family of Rizwana Shaheen, an education officer and sub-divisional education officer, who was brutally murdered in Landikotal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, continues to await justice a year after the tragic incident.
Shaheen was found dead with multiple stab wounds in her official residence on June 17, 2023. Her husband, Najibullah, son of Khan Ullah, fled from the crime, taking their four children with him. He was later arrested from his residence in Kotka Muhammad Khan, tehsil Domail, district Bannu under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
During the initial investigation, Najibullah confessed to the crime.
The case is presently under trial, with the prosecution presenting evidence and witnesses. A two-member committee, comprising Deputy Public Prosecutor Zulfiqar Ali and Assistant Public Prosecutor Zubair Qureshi, was formed to investigate the murder. The committee gathered evidence, including the murder weapon and call data records, and recorded statements.
To ensure wellbeing and protection of Shaheen’s four children – aged 9, 6, 5 and 2.5 years – the court granted their legal custody and guardianship to her maternal family. “They witnessed the brutal murder of their mother,” says Nadia Khan, Shaheen’s niece.
As the first anniversary of her passing approaches, Shaheen’s family demands immediate justice. “We demand answers, accountability, and closure. We also demand reassurance that no one is above the law and that the perpetrator of this heinous crime will face the full force of justice,” says Nadia Khan.