ISLAMABAD: While Islamabad police on Monday claimed to have arrested the alleged killer of a 22-year-old female student of International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI), human rights activists demanded adequate proof to ensure that the actual perpetrator had been apprehended.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Islamabad Mohammad Jawad Tariq told a press conference at Rescue 15 that they had achieved a major success by tracing and arresting the suspect in the blind murder case.

“The arrested accused has been identified as Feroz, a resident of Jhang, who had gone into hiding after the incident,” the DIG added.

He said the arrested man had entered a girls’ hostel and fired a shot at the student that led to her death. Several police teams were formed under the command of the SSP operations and SSP investigations.

“These teams employed modern techniques and human intelligence to arrest the accused. Police teams obtained sketches of the suspect, videos from nearby buildings and footage from Safe City Islamabad cameras, which helped ensure his arrest. The arrested accused has a criminal record, including previous charges for rape and several motorcycle thefts,” he claimed.

The DIG said a case had been registered against the suspect and the investigation was ongoing. The suspect will be charged in court based on a thorough investigation and solid evidence, ensuring that he receives appropriate punishment.

Protest by Aurat March and family

Earlier in the day, Aurat March Islamabad and the family of Emaan Afroz, the student who was murdered in her hostel about two months ago, held a protest outside the National Press Club. The family expressed disappointment with Islamabad police’s efforts to arrest the culprit, and silence of the hostel warden who they alleged had been threatening girls against raising their voice against the murder.

The participants condemned the murder and demanded a transparent and swift inquiry into her murder, holding those responsible accountable for their actions. They demanded that the lack of accountability and systemic failures that enable such tragedies must be addressed.

They also demanded transparent investigation and justice for Emaan’s family, accountability for the hostel administration’s negligence, improved safety and security measures for students, particularly women, in educational institutions, implementation of policies to prevent gender-based violence and ensure prompt response to emergencies.

They condemned the police’s tactics to silence the family and asking them not to make details of the case public, which was a clear attempt to keep the criminals safe.

They demanded that every case in which a woman was subjected to violence should be given the same priority by the state and the government.

Rights activist Farzana Bari, who attended the protest, while talking to Dawn said that it was unfortunate that the police were pressuring the family of the deceased for the last 50 days.

“We had announced to hold protest three days ago but police approached us and requested not to hold the protest claiming that they were close to the suspect.

After holding the protest police held a press conference claiming that it had arrested the suspect. However, we will verify if the suspect is the same as the family has footage of the murderer,“ she said.

The protesters marched from Super Market to NPC and also held a candlelit vigil.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2025