Anchor Imran Riaz Khan came in the crosshairs of social media users on Tuesday following a clip from his YouTube video discussing the Noor Mukadam case.
Netizens claimed that Imran Riaz Khan was blaming and accusing Noor Mukadam of her murder. According to social media users, the journalist said that Noor contacted Zahir Jaffer more than her father in the past few months.
Imran said that the father of Noor Mukadam texted her eight times in the past six months; she responded only thrice to the text messages of her father. Whereas she was in constant contact with her murderer Zahir Jaffer. He said that it is against the principles of Islam and societal cultures and norms. Imran Riaz Khan said that religion, society, and cultural norms have warned people of the unpleasant consequences of objectionable relations and mingling of opposite genders.
I’m shocked at Imran Khan’s ‘views’ on why #ZahirJaffer murdered #NoorMuqaddam. This vile man has not right to call himself a journalist and honestly, he should not even be allowed to have a platform on national TV anymore because he believes talking to men can get you beheaded. pic.twitter.com/DKjWTy9w13
— Haider Kaleem (@HaiderKaleemB) August 9, 2021
https://twitter.com/abdullahsultan/status/1424984419564204042?s=20
Read more: US Embassy in Pakistan distances itself from Noor Mukadam murder case
Imran Riaz Khan clarifies his statements
When social media started expressing their hate against Imran’s video statement, the anchor clarified that he did not pin the blame on Noor Mukadam for the murder and neither condoned the behaviour of Zahir Jaffer and his family. He also explained that he demands strict punishment like a public hanging for them. Imran Riaz Khan asserted that negative propaganda ran against him on social media that accused him of supporting Zahir Jaffer allegedly. He added that he was talking about the decaying of the family system and drifts from traditional societal norms in Pakistan which is the root cause of such incidents.
Imran Khan also clarified that his remarks in the previous video were not exclusively meant for the Noor Mukadam case. He said that the traditional kinship and extended family system save and protect the vulnerable women and children in the family. Imran Riaz Khan said this system saved many families as COVID-19 caused unemployment and many people suffered financial losses. Families support each other financially and morally during testing times.
Read more: Noor Mukadam case: A need to reform Pakistan’s justice system
He argued that in comparison to the western countries, Pakistan has a weak state system that fails to protect the vulnerable. Western countries report more cases of abuse against women than Pakistan. Yet, they call themselves civilized and cultured people because they claim to have a robust legal system. He said the family system provides relief when the state fails to protect the weak.
Imran Riaz Khan added that his message is for the children, youth, and parents to stay connected with family and value the societal bonds and harness those ties.