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A Pakistani physics graduate and gold medallist whose family sold land and pawned jewellery to fund her dream of studying at Harvard University in the US was found dead in Islamabad. According to US-based news outlet The Media Line, Laiba Ijaz, 24, died by suicide after allegedly losing PKR 93 lakh in an education scam. Before her death, she had pleaded with her maternal uncle not to tell her father about the alleged fraud, fearing the news would devastate him.
Laiba Ijaz, hailing from Sargdoha in Pakistan's Punjab province, had hoped to pursue higher education in the US and build her career as a scientist. Instead, her family alleged that a man, promising to secure her admission, scholarship and a US visa, allegedly supplied them with false documents in exchange for lakhs of rupees.
Ijaz was found dead at a weekly market in Islamabad's G-10 sector on October 9.
According to reports in The Media Line and Karachi-based news outlet, Dawn, her body was found hanging from a tree with a scarf tied around her neck. Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding her death alongside allegations of financial fraud.
In a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office on X, PM Shehbaz Sharif took notice of the incident and directed Islamabad's inspector general of police and chief commissioner to arrest the accused.
Sharif described the death as an "extremely tragic incident" and called for exemplary punishment in accordance with the law. According to a report from the Karachi-based daily, The Express Tribune, at least one individual has been arrested in connection with the case.
IJAZ'S FAMILY SACRIFICED SAVINGS FOR HER AMERICAN DREAM
According to a report by The Media Line, Laiba Ijaz, who is a physics graduate and a gold medallist from the Islamic University Islamabad, had been determined to continue her education in the US. According to her family, she had even declined a scholarship to study in Saudi Arabia to fulfil her dream to study in Harvard.
Her father, who has sold milk and yoghurt on the streets of Islamabad since 1994, had made his daughters' education a priority despite his limited formal schooling. To finance Ijaz's ambitions, he sold a plot of land he had purchased to build a home for the family.
Her mother pawned her jewellery to help meet the payments demanded by the alleged consultant, relatives told The Media Line.
Ijaz was the youngest of seven children. Her eldest sister had previously received a scholarship to study in China and now works as a translator for a major Chinese company in Lahore.
According to the report from The Media Line, the family approached an individual named Muhammad Nauman, who allegedly identified himself as a foreign education consultant and promised to arrange Ijaz's admission to Harvard, a scholarship, and a US visa.
PKR 93 LAKH TAKEN FROM FAMILY IN EXCHANGE FOR FRAUDULENT DOCUMENTS
According to a report in The Express Tribune, Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency said that the suspects allegedly defrauded Ijaz’s family of PKR 93 lakh. Of this, 29 lakhs were transferred via Ijaz's bank account, and the rest paid in cash. According to The Media Line, the family was supplied with forged admission and tuition payment documents, which reportedly failed verification when Ijaz appeared for a visa interview at the US Embassy in Islamabad.
Her family alleged that Nauman posed as an official associated with institutions, including the Islamabad High Court, and claimed a US-based woman could help secure the scholarship.
Ijaz's maternal uncle, Amjad Ur Rehman, told The Media Line that the family contacted Harvard University and made inquiries through contacts at the US Embassy in Islamabad. Neither institution could verify the documents, he said.
Ijazs brother-in-law, Zaid bin Afzal, told The Media Line that Nauman repeatedly postponed her visa interviews. He allegedly later claimed another interview was scheduled for October 12 and demanded the remaining PKR 22 lakh before that date.
By then, Ijaz had discovered the alleged fraud and was deeply distressed, Afzal said. Before leaving home on October 9, she pleaded with him not to tell her father what had happened.
"Don't tell my father about the fraud committed against me; otherwise, he will die," she said, according to Afzal, as quoted by The Media Line.
Afzal later found her body at a market in Islamabad's G-10 sector and alerted police.
PAKISTAN'S FIA MAKES FIRST ARREST, INTERIOR MINISTER MOSHIN NAQVI VISITS BEREAVED FAMILY
FIA Director-General Usman Anwar confirmed to the Saudi Arabia-based outlet, Arab News on Sunday, October 11, that Nauman had been arrested. "Muhammad Nauman, the accused in Laiba case, has been arrested," Anwar told the publication, without providing further details.
The Express Tribune separately reported on Saturday, October 10, that the FIA had completed an enquiry and registered a criminal case against Nauman and an individual named Fatima Sarwar on charges relating to cheating, dishonestly inducing the delivery of property and abetment, alongside provisions of Pakistan's Emigration Ordinance.
The agency alleged that the suspects acted together to deceive Ijaz and her family by preparing fake scholarship award letters, university admission offers and fee payment receipts.
"The role of any other individuals involved in the case will be determined during the course of the enquiry," the FIA said in a statement, as reported by Arab News.
The Express Tribune also reported that Interior Minister Moshin Naqvi and Minister of State for Interior Tala Chaudhry visited Laiba Ijaz's bereaved family late on Saturday. The outlet reported Naqvia as describing the case as a test for the authorities amid a wider crackdown on human smuggling, illegal migration and visa fraud.
"This is a test case for us," Naqvi told reporters during the visit, according to The Express Tribune. "I can say that I will personally pursue their case." The minister also pledged that authorities would seek to recover the money allegedly taken from victims and ensure those responsible were punished.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Prime Minister's Office stated on Saturday that PM Shebaz Shariff "has taken notice of the suicide of Laila Ijaz", who described it as an "extremely regrettable incident".
For Ijaz’s family, the dream of an American education came at an enormous financial cost. Her father sold land intended for their home, and her mother pawned her jewellery to support her ambitions. With Nouman arrested and the FIA investigating the alleged fraud, the family is left seeking justice for a daughter whose dreams and aspirations, they allege, were exploited for PKR 93 lakh.
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(Written by Shounak Sanyal)
