The murder of Noor Mukadam, a 27-year-old woman, in Islamabad’s Sector F-7/4 has horrified Pakistan’s civil society, with the hashtag #JusticeForNoor trending on Twitter for almost two days.
As the shock of the gruesome murder wears off, many people leveraged social media to vent their rage at the primary suspect, Zahir Zakir Jaffer, and the circumstances surrounding Noor’s death. Many of the details, however, have not been confirmed by the investigation team, which provided a thorough briefing on Thursday.
In light of people’s own accounts of the murder circulating, actor Osman Khalid Butt rightly advised people to refrain from spreading unconfirmed information regarding the crime.
“I cannot believe this bears saying, but please stop sharing unverified, unsubstantiated details about the murder: the causes, the aftermath,” he tweeted on Friday, adding “especially if they’re by anonymous sources”.
He also pointed out that such unverified claims were not helping Noor or her family get justice, “just sating your morbid curiosity”.
I cannot 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 this bears saying, but please stop sharing unverified, unsubstantiated details about the murder: the causes, the aftermath.
Especially if they're by anonymous sources.
You are not helping Noor or her family get justice, just sating your morbid curiosity.— Osman Khalid Butt 🇵🇸 (@aClockworkObi) July 23, 2021
On Friday, the famous leather company Jafferjees issued a statement denying any involvement in the murder after some social media users claimed it was connected to the suspect and his family.
“Jafferjees (Private) Limited would like to state unequivocally that the incident in Islamabad has NO business or personal relationship with the Jafferjees brand in any way,” said a public notice by the brand on its Facebook and Instagram pages.
“We have noticed several irresponsible posts from media outlets and journalists that have tied these people to our company that has been run by the Quettawala family since its inception. We wish to reassure our patrons with the truth and hope that these publications and individuals fact-check their reporting,” the statement added.
“We offer our deepest condolences to the families.”
Police claimed Zahir was fully “sound and in his senses” when he was arrested from the murder site in a press conference yesterday. Despite a pistol was discovered at the suspect’s home, SSP (Investigation) Ataur Rehman revealed that while the victim was fired at before being “slaughtered,” the first investigation and medical report did not indicate a gunshot injury in the event.
The suspect, who is now in police prison on remand, is being questioned, according to the SSP, who also said that police did not have information on whether Zahir had a criminal record in other countries, as many on social media had claimed.
Whether the suspect provided his testimony or not, SSP Rehman stated the police investigation’s conclusions will be based on “solid evidence.” He swore that based on the facts, the cops will convict and punish him.
