US Embassy in Pakistan has distanced itself from the Noor Mukadam after accused Zahir Jaffer claimed that he is a US citizen.
Noor Mukadam, a 27-year-old, girl was murdered and beheaded in Islamabad. Noor was the daughter of a former ambassador, Shaukat Mukadam, to South Korea and Kazakhstan. The case came to light last week. Since then, it has been triggered a nationwide outrage. People have been calling the authorities to take the case to its logical end.
In a foreign country, U.S. citizens are subject to that country’s laws. When Americans are arrested abroad, the Embassy can check on their well-being and provide a list of lawyers, but cannot provide legal advice, participate in court proceedings or effect their release.
— U.S. Embassy Islamabad (@usembislamabad) July 27, 2021
In one of the viral videos representing the accused, Zahir Jaffer in the court had claimed that he is a US citizen and that his life is in danger. Citizens commented that the accused is trying to seek assistance from a US mission in Pakistan to help him flee Pakistan and the murder case. The statement of Zahir Jaffer gave an impression that he had some sort of immunity by being a US citizen.
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As per the unconfirmed reports, officials from US Embassy had met Zahir Jaffer. US mission in Pakistan faced criticism on social media for presumably helping him escape Pakistan. Hence to ward off these impressions, the US mission in Pakistan released an official statement on its Twitter account.
“In a foreign country, US citizens are subject to that country’s laws. When Americans are arrested abroad, the Embassy can check on their well-being and provide a list of lawyers, but cannot provide legal advice, participate in court proceedings, or effect [affect] their release,” the US Embassy said in a testament on Tuesday.
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Zahir Jaffer is the son of the CEO of a leading construction company in Islamabad and is allegedly involved in the murder and was arrested on the spot and taken to the police station. The investigation entails that Zahir and Noor were childhood friends and their break-up appears to be one of the dominant reasons behind her murder. The reports elucidate that she went to the suspect’s house on Tuesday and lost contact with her father in the morning.
Harrowing details of the murder case have been emerging since then, plunging citizens into extreme shock.