Can't have Zahir Jaffer killed in police encounter: Sheikh Rasheed

• Sheikh Rasheed sarcastically says “active ladies in Islamabad” and “large social media” have ruled out the possibility of extrajudicial killing.
• He says investigations completed, forensic test conducted and all evidence provided to court.
• Rasheed hopes court will hand down death sentence to Zahir Jaffer, alleged murderer of Noor Mukadam.

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed on Monday said that they cannot have the Noor Mukadam case suspect killed in a police encounter, Geo News reported.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Rasheed sarcastically said that the “active ladies in Islamabad” and “large social media” have ruled out the possibility of an extrajudicial killing.

He maintained that the investigation has been completed, the forensic test conducted and all evidence provided to the court. He hoped that the court will hand down a death sentence to Zahir Jaffer, the alleged murderer of Noor.

Responding to a question, the interior minister said that NADRA was developing a system for COVID-19 certification, adding that the system will be linked with 64 countries.

Replying to another question about the alleged abduction of the Afghan ambassador’s daughter, Rasheed said that Kabul’s probe team will be allowed to interview 11 concerned people. He maintained, “Afghan envoy’s daughter is our daughter.”

The interior minister said that PML-N and PPP posed no threat to the incumbent government.

Suspect Zahir Jaffer sent to jail on 14-day judicial remand

Meanwhile, a local court in Islamabad on Monday sent Zahir Jaffer, the key suspect in the Noor Mukadam murder case, to jail on a 14-day judicial remand.

Earlier today, the police produced the key suspect in court and pleaded the court to send him to jail on a judicial remand. The investigation officer told the court that they have completed their probe.

During the course of the proceeding, Judge Shaista Kundi asked Zahir if he wanted to say something in front of the court. “My lawyers will speak,” he replied.

Polygraph test of suspect Zahir Jaffer

On Friday, the Punjab forensic lab had conducted the polygraph test of Zahir.

Sources had told Geo News that the experts at the lab asked 20 questions from the suspect. They had added that the lab also conducted forensic analysis of the CCTV footage of the incident.

The sources had said that before the test, Zahir kept on "misguiding the officials by making excuses", adding that he also "acted as if he had fainted".

They had added that Zahir was "behaving abnormally" during the test.

The murder

Noor, 27, was murdered in the federal capital on July 20, in the city's F-7 area, according to police.

She is the daughter of Shaukat Mukadam, who served as Pakistan's ambassador to South Korea and Kazakhstan.

The Islamabad police arrested Zahir on the night of July 20 from his house where, according to Noor's parents, he killed her with a sharp instrument and severed her head.

The gruesome incident sparked a nationwide campaign seeking justice for her, with #JusticeforNoor becoming a top trend on Twitter.