HYDERABAD – August 17, 2025:
A Karachi-based journalist was discovered dead inside his car on Hyderabad Road in Sanghar late Saturday night, in what police have described as a “suspicious” case that requires thorough investigation.
The victim, identified as Khawar Hussain Bajwa, was associated with Dawn News. According to Sanghar SSP Abid Baloch, Bajwa’s body was found on the driver’s seat with a pistol in his right hand and a gunshot wound to the temple. “The bullet entered from the right side of his head and exited from the left,” the SSP told reporters, cautioning that it was too early to determine whether the death was a case of suicide or something more sinister.
Police also recovered a spent casing from inside the vehicle. DIG Nawabshah Faisal Bashir Memon later confirmed that the weapon was legally licensed in Bajwa’s name.
Sequence of Events
Investigators have pieced together Bajwa’s last known movements with the help of staff at Mirchi 360, a roadside restaurant near where his car was parked. Workers said the journalist twice came inside the eatery to use the washroom before returning to his car without placing an order.
A security guard at the establishment told police he became suspicious when the vehicle remained parked for an unusual amount of time. Upon checking, he saw Bajwa slumped in the seat with blood seeping from his head. The restaurant staff immediately alerted local authorities.
CCTV footage shows Bajwa entering and leaving the hotel alone, but cameras did not capture the car itself, leaving a crucial gap in the investigation.
Family in Shock
Police said Bajwa’s brother-in-law, Zubair Ali, who lives in Sanghar, appeared baffled by the incident. “He never came here without informing us. We don’t know why he was in Sanghar this time,” Ali told investigators. He added that he learned of the death only after a friend called to break the news.
Bajwa’s postmortem was carried out at Civil Hospital Sanghar. The family is waiting for his US-based brother and parents, who are expected to arrive in Pakistan on August 18, before moving the body for burial in Sanghar. Police and medico-legal officials have yet to release the preliminary autopsy findings.
Official Response
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has taken notice of the incident, directing the Inspector General of Police to submit a detailed report. Governor Kamran Tessori extended condolences to the bereaved family, describing Bajwa’s death as “a great tragedy for journalism and society.”
Colleagues, friends, and members of the journalist community have also expressed deep grief and shock. Many paid tribute to Bajwa’s work and prayed for strength for his family to bear the loss.
