ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Saturday extended for two days the physical remand of Zahir Zakir Jaffer, the main suspect in the gruesome murder of Noor Mukadam.
Mukadam, 27, was found beheaded at a residence in Islamabad's upscale F-7/4 sector on July 20. She was the daughter of Pakistan’s former ambassador to South Korea and Kazakhstan, Shaukat Mukadam.
US national Jaffer, the son of businessman Zakir Jaffer and Asmat Adamjee, was arrested on the same day and has since been in police custody. His physical remand was to expire on Saturday, but was extended after the prosecution asked for more time for police to investigate CCTV footage from the crime scene.
"Zahir’s remand has been extended by another two days as the police investigate recently acquired CCTV footage further," Mukadam's legal team said on their official account sharing updates on the case.
The police on Friday took Jaffer to the Punjab Forensic Laboratory in Lahore for a polygraph test. Forensic analysis of the CCTV footage acquired from his residence was also performed at the facility.
“The polygraph test of the suspect and other important forensic analysis of the evidence collected from the crime scene will help strengthen the case,” Inspector Abdul Sattar, who is investigating the case, told Arab News on Friday.
Jeffer's next hearing has been scheduled for Monday. His parents, who are in judicial remand, will appear in court for the hearing of their bail plea on Aug. 4.
The case has sent shockwaves across Pakistan, with officials, journalists, activists and members of the public expressing horror over the gruesome murder, which has sparked fresh debate about the safety of women in the country.
Social media erupted with furious disgust, and there have been protests and vigils in major cities, as well as among the Pakistani diaspora as far away as Canada and the US. The hashtag #JusticeForNoor has since garnered millions of tweets.
Hundreds of women are killed in Pakistan annually, and thousands more are victims of brutal violence, but few cases get sustained media attention, and only a small fraction of perpetrators are ever punished.
As lawyers say Mukadam's case may go on for years, people across the globe have donated over $49,800 to help fight in Pakistani courts.
The fundraising campaign was closed on Friday on the request of the victim’s father, Salaar Khan, one of the lawyers representing the family, told Arab News.
“Shaukat Mukadam said it was sufficient for now and thanked all the donors," he said, adding that the lawyers were currently providing pro bono services to the family.