September 5, 2026
By Hashir Ahsan
ISLAMABAD
After the two women were murdered in Rawalpindi within a span of 24 hours, police registered cases and initiated investigation while the parliamentary committee expressed its concern over rising violence. One of the women was allegedly killed by her husband, while the second was killed by a neighbour.
Sundas Tanveer case
The murder of Sundas Tanveer took place in the jurisdiction of Rawalpindi’s Sadar Police Station. Sundas, a married woman was reportedly murdered by strangulation. Upon the complaint of the brother of the deceased, police registered a murder case against the husband, brother-in-law, and other unidentified suspects.
According to the complainant, Muhammad Ibrahim, his sister Sundas was married to Tanveer about two years ago, and they have a son (of around one year). However there had been discord between his sister and her husband ever since the marriage because Tanveer had frequently talked to other girls on the phone, and spent most of his time outside. He worked in Dubai and had returned just three or four months ago.
For the past few days, Tanveer had allegedly put Sundas in severe mental stress due to suspicious activity.
A night ago at 7:30 PM, Sundas spoke to her mother and mentioned that her in-laws were troubling her immensely.
“On the same night at 10:20 PM, when I called my sister’s number, the call was answered by my brother-in-law Tanveer’s sister, Fiza. She told me, “Your sister has committed suicide.”
Upon receiving the news, the complainant rushed to the spot with his other brothers, Khalil Ahmad and Abdul Majeed. Looking at the scene, he realized that his sister’s death was being framed as suicide, while it seemed clear that her husband Tanveer and brother-in-law Abdul Aziz, along with other unidentified individuals, had choked Sundas to death with a noose around her neck.
Speaking to Voicepk, Ibrahim said that his sister had definitely been murdered.
“Her in-laws tried to portray the murder as a suicide, but when I saw my sister’s body, her hands had henna freshly applied, not indicating at all that it was a suicide.”
Ibrahim also revealed that his sister was continuously being harassed by her husband and in-laws, and now when her husband Tanveer returned from Dubai, he had killed her. Ibrahim added that they brought his sister’s body from her in-laws’ house to their own home, and her burial rites were performed in their own ancestral area.
Police statement
When contacted by Voicepk, the police informed that both suspects named in the FIR have been arrested and are currently under interrogation. The scope of the investigation will be expanded in light of the post-mortem and DNA reports. For now, it is premature to say anything definitive regarding whether it was murder or suicide, they said.
Murder of Saba Mehboob
The second murder took place in the area of Rawalpindi’s Ratta Amral Police Station. A woman named Saba was reportedly murdered by her neighbor, Adnan Butt. Police registered a case and initiated an investigation. The case was registered on the complaint of the deceased’s stepbrother, Anosh.
In the FIR, the complainant stated that his stepsister, Saba, who was married to Zeeshan Mahmood had some marital discord, following which being upset with Zeeshan, she was living with us.
“On September 3, 2026, at around 9:00 PM, I was present at home along with my uncles, Michael and Nomi, when our neighbor Adnan Butt, holding a pistol, entered our house accompanied by my stepsister Saba, abusing her,” said the complainant. “Threatening both my uncles at gunpoint, he forced them out of the house. He slapped my stepsister Saba in front of me and said, “You betrayed me and dragged my honour through the dirt,” then he suddenly fired a shot point blank at Saba’s forehead. She immediately fell and died on the spot.”
The complainant said that after killing Saba, Adnan Butt threatened him with a pistol, forced him onto a motorcycle, and took him to his brother-in-law’s home on Ring Road. Adnan Butt’s brother-in-law and others were present there, threatening to kill him and demanding he state before the police that he killed Saba, or else they would kill him.
“They forcibly detained me there and released me around 5:00 PM the next day,” he said. “Adnan Butt and others also threatened my family members and relatives that if they registered a murder case against them regarding Saba’s death, no one would be left alive. Due to this fear and terror, my family did not even inform the police initially.”
Anosh said that they were poor people, whereas Adnan Butt and his relatives are ‘influential criminals’.
“Adnan Butt murdered my sister Saba Mahboob unjustifiably, while Adnan Butt and other unknown persons kidnapped me at gunpoint, held me in illegal confinement along with others, and subjected me to severe injustice. We want the police to arrest the suspect and award the strictest punishment,” he said.
Police officials speaking to Voicepk stated that the case has been registered on the complaint of the deceased’s brother, and efforts are ongoing to arrest the suspect. Police added that modern technology is being utilized for the suspect’s arrest, and he will be apprehended soon.
Committee on Gender Mainstreaming
On the other hand, the Special Parliamentary Committee on Gender Mainstreaming expressed deep concern over sexual crimes against women and children across the country, poor implementation of laws, and discrimination against women representatives within Parliament itself.
The meeting was chaired by Committee Chairperson Dr. Nafisa Shah. Speaking at the meeting, Committee Member Shaista Pervaiz said that numerous laws exist in the country, but they are not being implemented. Human rights organizations oppose punishments, but that will only increase their work. She added that cases of rape and sexual abuse are continuously being reported in the country; however, along with other departments, it is necessary to review the proportional representation of women in the Ministry of Human Rights as well.
On this occasion, the Secretary of the Ministry of Human Rights informed that the ministry’s focus is on post-investigation reporting, and it has been observed that in most cases of gender-based violence, culprits are not convicted. He stated that all actions at the provincial and district levels should be monitored centrally, and a separate cell should be established for investigating sexual offenses, which could begin in Islamabad. Upon this, committee members demanded the immediate establishment and operation of a special cell in Islamabad.
The meeting held detailed discussions on incidents like the Hina Javed case in Haripur, Karachi, and Islamabad. Committee Member Shahida Rehmani stated that noise is made for a few days after an incident, and then everyone goes silent. Citing the case of a one-and-a-half-year-old girl in Karachi, she shared that cases are ruined due to weak police investigations and the use of money. The suspect remarked that he would spend a few days eating and resting in jail before walking free. She stressed the need for specialized police training and the creation of special courts.
Committee Chairperson Dr. Nafisa Shah, while receiving a briefing on the Zainab Alert Tracking System, decided to discuss the matter in detail during the next meeting. The Secretary of Human Rights shared that the Zainab Alert System is active, while the conviction rate for sexual crimes in Sindh has increased from 7% to 32%, and improvement is also expected in Punjab.
Dr. Nafisa Shah revealed that the budget specifically allocated for women constitutes only 0.3% of the total national budget, and severe discrimination exists within Parliament itself. Supporting this, Committee Member Khalida Ateeq stated that women are not given the opportunity to speak on the floor, and funds are not provided to members coming on reserved seats.