Top cop moves to get ‘killer’ of ex-diplomat’s daughter on ECL

Ag APP

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad’s police chief has issued directives to investigators to get the alleged killer of Noor Mukadam, the daughter of a former Pakistani diplomat, placed on the Exit Control List (ECL).

Noor Mukadam, 27, the daughter of Shaukat Mukadam, who served as Pakistan’s ambassador to South Korea and Kazakhstan, was found murdered at a residence in an upscale locality in Islamabad on Tuesday. Her alleged murderer is currently in police custody.

The grisly circumstances of her murder, which triggered the hashtag #JusticeForNoor, was condemned by other former diplomats and sparked angry calls on social media to punish the perpetrators of heinous crimes against women.

Islamabad Inspector General of Police, Qazi Jameel-ur-Rehman, directed investigators on Friday to approach the relevant agencies to ensure the name of the suspect is placed on the ECL. The police chief also ordered the investigators to obtain the suspect’s criminal records from the UK and the United States.

The developments came during a meeting with the investigation team. Statements from the victim’s parents, the alleged killer’s father and two security guards have been recorded.

Meanwhile, over 100 former ambassadors demanded of the government to place the name of Noor Mukadam’s alleged killer on the ECL. The Association of Former Ambassadors (AFA) of Pakistan, in a statement, strongly condemned the gruesome killing and called for “exemplary punishment” for the alleged murderer.

The ambassadors said “using his dual nationality”, the murderer could escape the country. “Therefore, the association demands that his name should be placed on the ECL to ensure that he does not use his family influence and power to slip away from the country,” the statement read.

The former ambassadors noted with “disgust and horror” the brutal and heinous crime and called upon the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take notice of it to ensure that justice is done. “Supervision of this case would help reduce alarmingly high crime against women in Islamabad,” they stressed.

The association appreciated the personal message of support from the foreign minister to the bereaved family and mentioned the foreign secretary, who lent his support by attending the funeral.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Ulema Council called for taking up cases of abuse and violence against minors and women in anti-terrorism courts to ensure speedy justice and check these heinous crimes in society.

In a joint statement, the Ulema sought the Chief Justice and Prime Minister’s intervention to take up those cases, including Noor Mukadam’s, in ATCs as “they have disgraced the country and invited the society to ponder over the gravity of the situation”.

PUC Chairman, Special Representative to Prime Minister on Interfaith Harmony and Middle East Tahir Ashrafi said heinous crime cases should be decided within a set time frame and culprits should be taken to task without any delay.