Daily Times

On Tuesday evening, I was surfing through my Twitter account when I stumbled upon the claims of a disturbing, heart-wrenching murder in Islamabad. When further details emerged, I momentarily went into a state of numbness.

The life of an innocent girl was brutally taken away just because of a toxic friendship that she didn’t deserve at all. Her name was Noor Mukadum. Though I did not know her, she was clearly one of the kindest people to have ever existed. Her death sent shock waves across several strata of the society with tributes and condemnations pouring in from all over the country. But they aren’t enough to find solace.

Collective efforts must be ensured to provide her justice. Though all of us are standing by her family, one can’t even imagine what they’re going through right now. All focus should remain on the actions of her monstrous killer, who had no remorse in committing this heinous crime. Regardless of his family’s influence and power, Zahir Jaffer is nothing but a demon who should be sentenced to death, to say the least. People like him are a blight upon the society who treat others below them and act like the worst kind of bullies one could encounter.

His personal history is quite disturbing, and one could see through his façade. Some people claimed he was diagnosed with some sort of mental illness several years ago. But that has nothing to do with his gruesome actions since he was completely in his senses. He has an established history of substance abuse and harassing girls in Pakistan and abroad, who considered them an “object,” not a person. Reportedly in one case, a rape incident was allegedly hushed up in London. The Islamabad Police has sought details of potential criminal records from the US and the UK given that he’s an American citizen.

Zahir Jaffer is nothing but a demon who should be sentenced to death, to say the least. People like him are a blight upon society who act like the worst kind of bullies one could encounter

As for the members of his family, they are equally responsible given the details regarding their involvement in ignoring his past actions and alleged attempts to cover up the murder scene to avoid the police. Flight details show he had planned to leave for the US the following day, which is a sign of premeditated murder. It has already been confirmed by the police.

Apart from being a brand strategist for his family’s company, Ahmed Jaffer & Co, he also reportedly worked as a part-time therapist at a questionable organisation, Therapy Works. The weird part is that it had connections to his family, and its reputation is already going down the drain. Claims of its association with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) have already turned out to be false.

On a strange note, Therapy Works used to hire patients as therapists after a certain stage and completion of a short diploma course. Pretty mind-boggling. This itself requires a thorough investigation by law enforcement agencies since numerous complaints have been filed about its unethical nature of counselling.

While we must wait for further investigations, it is clear that Pakistan is facing a situation of violence against women, which draws a parallel with a “femicide.” From the tragic Motorway rape incident to gangster Usman Mirza’s horrendous actions, the signs are ominous. The state has a lot to work on in ensuring a safer environment.

Being the voice of millions, Prime Minister Imran Khan could do a lot better if he speaks for women without judging them. Unfortunately, in his last international interview held with Jonathan Swan, he did no favours.

On the other hand, Noor’s father Ambassador Shaukat Ali Mukadam has a strong resolve to fight for his daughter, which cannot be explained in mere words. We must all lend him a hand in ensuring justice by the courts, which need major reforms of their own given how broken this country’s legal system is. In this case, there are possibilities of witness tampering and pressure for bloody money that should not be allowed at any cost by the state.

While PM Khan has personally assured Ambassador Mukadam of directly monitoring the case of which the latter is grateful, his family needs to be protected by the state from any potential threats or harassment by the defending party.

Diplomatic sources in the Foreign Office have informed me that the entire Foreign Service of Pakistan (FSP) cadre stands in solidarity with the ambassador’s family and shall not let Noor’s killer off the hook.

As a final piece of advice, I would request people from the millennium and zoomer generations to continue highlighting all kinds of atrocities and keep up the pressure on state authorities for fixing the broken justice system. If your female friends or family members are in any kind of abusive/toxic relationship or marriage, you must intervene and talk them out of it for their safety. Notice the red flags before it’s too late. Life is more precious than one can imagine.

The writer is Associate Editor (Diplomatic Affairs), Daily Times. He tweets @mhassankhan06.