Report: City Reporter :
ISLAMABAD –The Women’s Democratic Front (WDF) has declared a nationwide “Femicide Emergency” over the rising incidents of killings and gender-based violence against women in Pakistan, demanding transparent investigations into all cases, including the killing of Hina Javed, and bringing those responsible to justice.
Addressing a press conference at the National Press Club Islamabad, WDF leaders and Sabah Bano Malik, cousin and family spokesperson of Hina Javed, 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.
They said Hina Javed’s husband and domestic worker have been arrested, while her father-in-law, who was named in the FIR, has not yet been arrested. Sabah Bano Malik demanded that everyone involved in the killing or concealment of evidence be brought to justice and that the investigation be conducted transparently on forensic grounds.
WDF Federal Secretary Education Zoya Rehman said the state must take coordinated and effective nationwide measures against killings of women and domestic violence. She said domestic violence should not be treated as a private or family matter but as a serious threat, and police should be required to conduct an immediate risk assessment following every complaint.
She also called for immediate protection, legal assistance, safe accommodation and financial support for women at risk, besides establishing a national “Femicide Register” containing records of previous complaints, the relationship between victims and accused, case proceedings and outcomes.
WDF Islamabad-Rawalpindi Unit General Secretary Anam Rathore said the state could not remain limited to condolence statements despite hundreds of women being killed within six months.
The speakers, citing Sahil’s “Six Months Cruel Numbers Report,” said 3,172 incidents of gender-based violence were recorded through media monitoring during the first six months of 2026, including 644 killings and 132 so-called honour killings. They noted that the figures only covered cases reported in the media.
WDF Deputy General Secretary and lawyer Neha Tauseef said implementation of laws against domestic violence remained extremely weak despite existing legislation. She called for mandatory immediate risk assessments by police and effective protective measures in every complaint.
She also demanded an effective mechanism for reinvestigating suspected suicides involving women with a history of domestic violence.
Rida Rashid appealed to trade unions, student organisations, women’s groups and democratic movements to support joint efforts and a collective charter aimed at ending killings and violence against women and transgender persons.
