ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Monday remanded the prime suspect in the murder of the daughter of a former ambassador in judicial custody for two weeks.
Noor Mukadam, 27, was found murdered at the residence of one Zahir Zakir in Sector F-7/4 of Islamabad in July. Zakir, widely believed to be the killer, was arrested the same day for his purported involvement in the gruesome incident.
A first information report registered on the complaint of Ambassador Shaukat Ali Mukadam nominated Zakir under Section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The suspect was produced in the court of Islamabad (West) Judicial Magistrate Shaista Khan Kundi on the completion of his two-day remand granted on Saturday.
During the proceedings, the prosecutor informed Kundi that police had, for now, completed their investigation with regards to the suspect and they no longer required his physical custody. But the judge observed there was nothing like a “complete investigation for now”.
“A complete investigation is complete,” said Kundi, adding the police would keep bringing supplementary challans.
“Where is the accused Zahir Zakir Jaffer?” she questioned, asking the suspect if he wanted to say anything to which he responded that his lawyer would speak for him.
Following the arguments, Kundi accepted the request for Zakir’s judicial remand, directing police to produce him again on August 16.
Last week, Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said the names of the suspects — including Zakir’s parents, Zakir Jaffer and Asmat Adamjee — will be put on the Exit Control List to keep them from fleeing the country.
The parents and the domestic staff of Zakir were arrested on July 25 for “hiding evidence” and “being complicit” in the incident.
Rasheed disclosed Zakir’s name has already been placed on the Provisional National Identification List, an ECL-like list used to bypass the lengthy process of putting such people on the no-fly list.
