Noor Mukadam's murder case has us all shattered, furious and extremely scared. Everyone, globally, has been demanding justice. When the murderer, Zahir Jaffer, was sent to jail, we all felt there was some hope left in our justice system. But recently news circulated regarding Zahir Jaffer's VIP treatment in the jail and that has sent us all off the edge.
This past week, Punjab’s Jail Minister Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan told the media that he had ordered prison authorities to stop giving special treatment to Zahir Jaffer with “immediate effect,” provided that he has been accused of the grisly murder of Noor Mukadam
Chohan’s statement came a day after Jaffer was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) after complaints of a headache. Chohan said that Jaffer was being kept in solitary confinement in a high-security cell in Adiala Jail, where he was reportedly being granted home cooked food daily, as well as visits.
The fact that he always appeared before the district magistrate bathed and in a fresh set of clothes also led to a public outcry over social media, as many condemned the special privileges for the wealthy ‘US national’. How come the rich get VIP treatments even after committing heinous crimes?
Actor Anoushey Ashraf took to social media and reminded the authorities of their actual responsibility – serving justice to the victim. Sharing an artwork featuring Noor, Anoushey wrote, “Every time #ZahirJaffer asks for hospitals, bail and nice ironed shirts to wear to his trials, I hope the people deciding his fate remember, see and shudder when they think of this [Noor Mukadam’s] angelic face. I hope they can’t sleep knowing she’s waiting on them to deliver justice.”
Even Fatima Bhutto tweeted, “Innocent men and women who are poor, languish behind bars with no protections, no legal help, no hope. But rich men, who murder, abuse, rob and steal, get whatever they want, no matter what they’ve done. Zahir Jaffer’s privilege exposed like this stains all pretenses of law and justice.”
In another thread she added, “Let it sink in that until now Zahir was meeting his father in jail and getting food sent from home.”
