Former Pakistani diplomat’s daughter ‘brutally’ murdered in Islamabad

Dubai: Former Pakistani diplomat’s daughter Noor Mukadam was ‘shot and slaughtered’ in an upcale residential area of Islamabad during Eid holidays.

Police said that a suspect, identified as Zahir Zakir who is reportedly a US citizen of Pakistani origin, has been taken into custody. Police found the ‘beheaded’ body of 27-year-old at the suspect’s house on Tuesday. She was the daughter of former foreign government official Shaukat Mukadam, who served as Pakistan’s ambassador to South Korea and Kazakhstan.

Pakistan spokesperson

Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry also tweeted to condemn the murder and expressed condolences to the family. “Deeply saddened by the murder of the daughter of a senior colleague and former Ambassador of Pakistan. Heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, and I hope the perpetrator of this heinous crime will be brought to justice,” Hafeez said on his twitter handle.

According to Geo News, Islamabad police have registered a case against the accused and an investigation is underway. Police said Noor was “slaughtered” after being shot at. Another person was also injured in the incident.

A friend of the woman, identified as Zahir Zakir, was arrested over his alleged involvement in the murder. “The alleged killer is a son of a leading businessman of the country,” according to Dawn.

Police obtained a three-day remand of the suspect from a local court, while officials said they were investigating the suspect’s motive for allegedly killing the woman.

FIR

A first information report (FIR) was registered against Zahir under Section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of the victim’s father late on Tuesday.

In his complaint, Shaukat Mukadam stated that he had gone to Rawalpindi on July 19 to buy a goat for Eidul Adha, while his wife had gone out to pick up clothes from her tailor. When he returned home in the evening, the couple found their daughter Noor absent from their house in Islamabad.

They found her cell phone number to be switched off, and started a search for her. Sometime later, Noor called her parents to inform them that she was travelling to Lahore with some friends and would return in a day or two, according to the FIR.

On Tuesday afternoon, the complainant said he received a call from Zahir, son of Zakir Jaffer, whose family were the ex-diplomat’s acquaintances. Zahir informed Mukadam that Noor was not with him, the FIR said.

At around 10pm the same day, the victim’s father received a call from Kohsar police station, informing him that Noor had been murdered.

Police subsequently took the complainant to Zahir’s house in Sector F-7/4 where he discovered that his “daughter has been brutally murdered with a sharp-edged weapon and beheaded”, according to the FIR.

Nukadam, who identified his daughter’s body, sought the maximum punishment under the law against Zahir for allegedly murdering his daughter.

The grisly murder of the woman sparked fresh debate about the safety of women in the federal capital, with the hashtag #JusticeForNoor attracting tens of thousands of tweets.

In a statement, Women Action Forum, a body working for women’s rights in Pakistan, has condemned the ‘barbaric murder and beheading of Noor Mukadam. “We note with concern the increasing incidents of violence against women recently. We extend our condolences to the family and express solidarity and support for them. We also demand swift justice,” the statement reads.