All suspects in Noor Mukadam case placed on ECL: Rashid

Interior minister says 3G and 4G internet suspended in ex-Fata region till Muharram 10

LAHORE:

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid on Tuesday said the government has placed all suspects – including the parents of prime accused Zahir Jaffer – linked to the murder of Noor Mukadam on the no-fly list to bar them from leaving Pakistan.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, the interior minister said the decision to place the suspects on the Exit Control List (ECL) was taken in a meeting held on Monday to discuss progress in the case.

Mukadam, a daughter of a former Pakistani diplomat, was found brutally murdered in a posh neighbourhood of the federal capital on July 20. Subsequently, the police charged Zahir Jaffer, a US national, with murder.

According to investigators, the two were friends, and Jaffer lured Mukadam, the daughter of Pakistan's former envoy to South Korea, to his home, held her hostage for two days, and then committed the brutal act.

Read Grisly murder of Noor Mukadam sparks outrage over femicides in Pakistan

Rashid, in his talk with the media, also expressed resolve to ensure foolproof security arrangements during Muharram amid strict compliance with the Covid-19 SOPs.

He said in order to ensure security in Muharram, the government has decided to suspend 3G and 4G services from Muharram 1 to Muharram 10 in the newly merged districts of K-P.

The interior minister appealed to the mourners to strictly observe precautionary measures as laid down by the National Command and Operations Centre to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and said he has already directed the chief secretaries and police chiefs of all provinces to provide foolproof security to the Shia community. More security measures will be announced in the next two days, he added.

Responding to a question regarding the Dasu bus attack, the minister said law enforcement agencies have completed their investigation in the Dasu bus blast case and the foreign minister will disclose the details along with Chinese officials at an appropriate time.

Rashid further reiterated that Pakistan was not interfering in occupied Kashmir as claimed by the Indian home minister. He said Line of Control (LoC) was completely fenced and no fighters from the Pakistani side of the border were entering Indian Illegaly Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

The Indian ministry should provide evidence to back such claims up, he added.

Afghan peace

Speaking about the situation in Afghanistan, the interior minister said Pakistan wants peace in Afghanistan as it was essential for regional stability.

He said Pakistan never interfered in the internal matters of Afghanistan, adding that all borders with Afghanistan, including the Chaman border crossing, were sealed to prevent entry and exit of people.

The interior minister added that Pakistan always stood for peace and to achieve that it sacrificed at least 70,000 lives in the war against terrorism.

Read ‘Capitulation’ of Afghan forces not Pakistan’s fault

Regarding the alleged abduction of the Afghan envoy’s daughter, he said Pakistan has provided all evidence to the Afghan investigation team and added that the envoy’s daughter was not cooperating with Pakistani authorities.

According to Rashid, there was an organised anti-Pakistan campaign being run in international media to malign the country.

“Weakening Pakistan internally is the prime agenda of the hostile agencies of India, Israel, and Afghanistan and we have to foil their designs by remaining strong.”

Speaking about NADRA, Rashid said the government was planning to introduce integrated national identity cards that would integrate driving, arms and others licences into a single card.

He also said that in order to weed out the fake CNICs, the government will issue seven million new identity cards that were issued before the introduction of the biometric system and the government will also sack NADRA officials involved in the issuance of fake CNICs.