According to a police report seen by CNN, Noor Mukadam, 27, died on July 20 after being allegedly tortured and killed by an acquaintance -- Zahir Jaffer, the 30-year-old son of an influential family and a dual Pakistan-US national.
Jaffer was arrested at the scene of the alleged attack and later charged with premeditated murder. His lawyer, Ansar Nawaz Mirza, said he hadn't spoken to Jaffer since the alleged attack but said his client"deserves a fair trial." Women's rights activists fear the conservative council will use its influence on the legislation to kill the bill, sending a message that violence against women in their own homes is allowed, or even condoned.Pictures of Mukadam shared by her friends and family with CNN show a tall, vivacious young woman, posing in the glow of fairy lights and shimmying for gifs. Another photograph shows her with strings of jasmine in her hair, clutching a tiny dog to her chest, her long wavy hair askew.
They tried to phone her, but her mobile phone was switched off, so they began searching for her with the assistance of her friends, according to the report. That night, Noor Mukadam called her parents saying that she would be traveling with friends to Lahore, Pakistan's second largest city, and they shouldn't worry. They didn't hear from her again, according to the police report.
A statement on the company's website condemned the incident, and said"what cannot be disassociated is our family link to the tragedy, which is undeniable but we request you not judge us all by the horrific actions of one."Mukadam's death has drawn attention to the plight of women and girls in Pakistan, where violence against them is considered a"serious problem," according to a 2020 country report from Human Rights Watch.
Lawyer and women's rights campaigner Sahar Bandial said Pakistan's criminal justice system sees domestic violence offenses as a"private matter" between couples and families. However, in early July, the adviser to the prime minister on parliamentary affairs, Babar Awan, wrote a letter to the speaker of Parliament, seeking a review of the bill by the Islamic Council.
SophiaSaifi Islamic Sharia is the solution.