World

#JusticeForNoor: Pakistanis Protest Against 'Beheading' of Former Diplomat's Daughter

The recent atrocities have revived concerns that Prime Minister Imran Khan's government and society seem incapable of keeping women safe in Pakistan.
Sputnik
Protests have erupted in different parts of Pakistan, as demonstrators seek justice for Noor Mukadam, the 27-year-old daughter who was beheaded last week of a former diplomat.
The victim was the daughter of Pakistan's former ambassador to South Korea and Kazakhstan, Shaukat Mukadam. She was reportedly decapitated by a man from an affluent family in Islamabad. 
The accused, Zahir Zamir Jaffer, the son of a prominent businessman, has reportedly been arrested.
The incident has shocked a lot of people in the country, as they call for the government to ensure women's safety while they rebuke Prime Minister Imran Khan's government on social media.
Human rights activists, the ambassador's colleagues, Pakistan-based celebrities such as actresses Mahira Khan and Mawra Hocane, and singer Meesha Shafi - among others - all came forward to express their disgust. 
​Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi condemned Noor Mukadam's murder.
He wrote on Twitter: "This has no place in our society, lives, religion or culture. We must work harder and do more for prevention and for justice. For Saima, for Quratulain, for Noor."
Quratulain was a mother of four who was tortured to death by her husband on 15 July and Saima Ali was shot dead by her husband in another incident earlier this month.
The killings have highlighted the culture of femicide and violence against women in the Islamic country.
According to a Thomson Reuters Foundation report, Pakistan ranks sixth in the table of most dangerous countries in the world for women.
There has been unrest over the rise in gender-based violence since Imran Khan in an interview last month resorted to victim-blaming. He said: "If a woman wears revealing clothes, it will have an impact on the men, unless they are robots. It’s just common sense."
After being appointed Prime Minister in 2018, Khan described the struggle of Pakistani women as a western concept. 
He added: "I disagree with this western concept - this feminist movement - it has degraded the role of a mother. My mother had the greatest impact on my life".
Discuss