Murder of Noor Mukadam

Noor Mukadam
Born	(1993-10-23)October 23, 1993 Amman, Jordan
Died	21 July 2021(2021-07-21) (aged 27) Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan
Cause of death	Murder
Father	Shaukat Mukadam

Noor Mukadam (Urdu: نور مقدم; 23 October 1993 – 21 July 2021) was a Pakistani victim of murder. She was 27 years old and the daughter of a former diplomat, Shaukat Mukadam. She was murdered at a house in Sector F-7/4, Islamabad, on 21 July 2021. She was tortured with a knuckleduster before being shot with a pistol and decapitated by her alleged murderer, Zahir Jaffer. She was also raped before being murdered. [1]

The murder suspect was identified as 27-year-old Zahir Jaffer who was arrested on the spot and taken to the police station. The parents and household staff of Jaffer were also arrested for alleged complicity and evidence-hiding. According to police sources, the murder was premeditated as Jaffer had allegedly disclosed his intention to kill Noor in case she refused to accept his marriage proposal.

The incident

According to Geo News, the timeline of the incident stretches back to 7 July when Jaffer booked a one-way plane ticket to New York. Jaffer's departure was scheduled at 3:50 am (PST) on the morning of 19 July. At around 1 pm on the afternoon of 18 July, Jaffer made arrangements for a taxi to transport him to the Islamabad International Airport the following night. He was informed that he would be charged Rs. 2,000 for the trip. That evening, Jaffer made a phone call to Noor from the locality of Blue Area. Noor is said to be at her home at that time, in Islamabad's Naval Anchorage neighbourhood. At 9.05 pm, Noor left her house and headed for Jaffer's house, reaching his residence in Sector F-7/4 at around 10 pm. While on her way, she texted Jaffer twice at around 9:45 pm, asking him about his whereabouts.

Investigative sources indicate that after Noor reached Jaffer's house, the latter made a series of calls to the travel agency which had booked his itinerary, inquiring if it was possible to change his travel date. Jaffer was told that his ticket would be "wasted" if he changed the ticket, to which he queried how his ticket could be wasted if he was informing the agent "three hours in advance". The agent told Jaffer that he would try to cancel Jaffer's ticket but that the notice period was too short, to which Jaffer inquired about what effect it would have on his booking if he travelled 10 days later. The agent responded "With your ticket cancelled, you will have to pay the difference in rates that are sure to occur by then", to which Jaffer replied that he would get back to the agent regarding his decision shortly. Jaffer then contacted the agent five more times, and finally confirmed in a text message that he was going to take the flight as scheduled.

At around 11 pm, the taxi that Jaffer had booked arrived at his house to take him to the airport. The taxi driver called Jaffer at 11:15 pm and was told to wait, followed by another call at 11:36 pm when he was again told to wait. At 12:07 am on 19 July, Jaffer told the driver to go back because he no longer planned on going to the airport. He handed Rs. 1,000 to his gatekeeper to give to the taxi driver. At 1.40 am, Jaffer got another call from the same taxi driver, who obliged that since Jaffer had paid him, he was happy to come back and pick Jaffer up later should he change his mind. It is reported that Jaffer then asked the driver to return, and the taxi came back to his house at 2 am to take him to the airport. At 2:15 am, Jaffer came out of his house with a "barefooted" Noor and both got into the taxi which left at 2.20 am. While on the way, Jaffer suddenly told the driver to turn back and head home. When the driver inquired the reason for heading back, Jaffer responded by telling him that they were too "late" and would "not be able to reach on time". The taxi dropped both of them at Jaffer's residence at 2.35 am. According to the driver, "Noor was silent throughout the entire trip while Zahir continued to speak to her". The driver saw Jaffer take Noor and his luggage back into the house. At 3:58 am, Jaffer made another call to his travel agent which the latter did not pick up.

Police sources indicate that Jaffer had a fight with Noor 17 hours after they were dropped back by the taxi. Soon after, Noor received text messages from her parents inquiring about her whereabouts. Noor's father sent her three texts at 12.57 am on 20 July asking where she was, followed by a text from her mother at 1 am, but Noor did not respond to the messages. Police sources are of the view that Jaffer had confiscated Noor's phone by that point and did not allow her to use it. At 5.48 am, her mother sent her more text and voice-recorded messages, followed by calls from two family friends but to no avail. Finally at 10.43 am, Noor managed to send a voice recording to her mother, details of which have not been disclosed to the public; it was to be her last message before her killing. After she sent the message, Jaffer is said to have "snatched" Noor's phone and directly called her mother three time from his own phone at 10.56 am, during which he spoke to the mother for at least 20 minutes and told her "Noor is not here at my house". From 11 am to 7.30 pm, Noor is believed to have been held in captivity by Jaffer during which she was tortured and murdered.

Noor's decapitated body showed signs of torture wounds and stab wounds. A leaked audiotape revealed that after the murder, the friends of the accused gathered around the house, while his parents, instead of calling the police, called Therapy Works, a counselling and psychotherapy centre. Therapy Works staff reached the location and tied the suspect. Their team member was injured during this process.

It has also been reported that at one point, Noor tried to escape by jumping through the balcony and reaching the security guard's room but she was chased by Jaffer and the security guard handed her back to Jaffer. The police is of the view that the murder could have been averted had the security guard informed the police in time.

Police investigation

The suspect, Zahir Zakir Jaffer, is a dual Pakistani-American citizen and the son of a wealthy businessman, Zakir Jaffer, and Asmat Adamjee. Noor's father, Shaukat Mukadam, is a retired diplomat who previously served as Pakistan's ambassador to South Korea and Kazakhstan. The Mukadam family also lived for some time in Ireland. In addition to the suspect and victim, their families were also acquaintances of each other.

According to police, Jaffer had previously been deported from the United Kingdom for involvement in a sexual harassment case. Data recovered from Jaffer's phone indicated he had been involved in violence against women in the past as well.

Following the murder, a First Information Report was registered against Jaffer under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code, and the suspect was arrested on the site. Later, police also arrested Jaffer's parents and house servants on suspicion of complicity in the crime and the hiding of evidence. On 15th August 2021, Police was able to match fingerprint and DNA from samples collected from the weapon used in a murder confirming Jaffer's involvement in the murder.

Police investigated the role of Therapy Works; a drug rehabilitation, counselling, and psychotherapy centre in Islamabad. Members of the Therapy Works were the first to arrive at the crime scene and tie the suspect before police arrived at the scene.

Jaffer's name was placed on the Provincial National Identification List and Exit Control List by the Pakistani government to prevent him from fleeing the country.

Reactions

The murder and its gruesome nature sparked strong condemnation and public outrage in Pakistan. There have been calls to bring the perpetrator to justice. According to The Washington Post, "the name Noor Mukadam has ricocheted through Pakistani news and social media" and renewed focus on the country's plight in tackling cases of violence against women. Prime Minister Imran Khan directed the Islamabad Police to "make no concessions" while probing the murder and emphasised the delivery of justice. Public celebrities from the film and music industries tweeted under the hashtag #JusticeForNoor to rally their sentiments on the issue. Communities amongst the Pakistani diaspora also expressed their grief at the incident, holding vigils for Noor. Some questioned whether Noor's plight would have ever reached mainstream media had she not been the daughter of a diplomat or belonged to a well-to-do family. Amid public speculation that Zahir's family would try to wield its influence to stall the investigations, the Jaffer family released a statement to the media where it extended its condolences to the Mukadam family while adding that they "categorically condemn this atrocity and forever denounce Zahir and his actions". Zahir's maternal side, the Adamjee family, also issued a condemnation in which it expressed its grief and stated "We have not and will not support Zahir Jaffer in any form. We whole-heartedly and unequivocally support the law of the land taking its course. Justice for Noor must and will be served". Fatima Bhutto characterised Noor's murder as "a test for a system that too easily bends to power and influence", while also noting the countless women who were victims of violence but whose cases never went noticed because they were poor or unknown. The incident is one amongst a series of high profile "honour killings" in recent years, beginning with the killing of Qandeel Baloch, following which Pakistan's parliament had enacted legislation aiming to counter such cases. According to a representative of Aurat March, a campaign that promotes women's rights in the country, legislative changes are cosmetic in nature and ensure little difference on the ground "without an overhaul of the legal system to make it more gender-sensitive and survivor-centric, along with investment in shelters and welfare programs".

Clarifying its position on the issue whilst noting Jaffer's status as an American citizen, the U.S. embassy in Islamabad tweeted "In a foreign country, US citizens are subject to that country’s laws. When Americans are arrested abroad, the Embassy can check on their well-being and provide a list of lawyers, but cannot provide legal advice, participate in court proceedings or effect their release".

See also

• Victim blaming
• Women's rights in Pakistan
• Honour killing in Pakistan

• Stoning of Farzana Parveen
• Samia Sarwar
• Death of Samia Shahid
• Ayman Udas