According to sources, anonymous armed men shot Ghazala Javed and her father as she was headed for a show from a beauty parlor. The singer was taken to Lady Reading Hospital where she and her father were pronounced dead by the doctors.

Preliminary reports speculated that her husband may be involved in the murder. Ghazala had divorced her husband, Jahangir, six months back.

Ghazala Javed was a Pakhtun singer belonging to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province. She was considered to be a leader in reviving and promoting female singing within the KPK province following the Taliban insurgency. She was nominated for a Filmfare Award in 2010 and received a Khyber Award in 2011.