Latest news with #Zahir
India Today
2 days ago
- India Today
Kashmir calling: Why Omar Abdullah went cycling, cable-car riding
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated June 16, 2025)It took years of Centre's push for better infrastructure, incentives to local industry and the sedulous dissemination of a feelgood narrative, helped by a dip in terrorism—it was an entire conspiracy of virtues that revived Jammu and Kashmir as a tourism hub. The Pahalgam terror attack ripped apart that patchwork quilt woven since 2019. The urgent question now is, how to revive that revival?advertisement It's an unenviable task. As scared tourists stay away, summer hotel bookings are mostly cancelled, and large-scale layoffs in the hospitality sector are spreading misery. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has clearly deemed the situation grim enough to lead a full counter-charge, but he is seeking to do it with a touch of May 27, he chose to hold a cabinet meeting right there on ground zero: Pahalgam. In the evening, he went on a cycle ride through its streets with sons Zahir and Zamir. Next day, cabinet in tow, the CM visited ski-resort Gulmarg, then took a cable car ride before the cameras. After Eid on June 7, the government will organise a Walkathon around Dal Lake in Srinagar and a water sports event on the A record 3.5 million tourists visited J&K in 2024; the sector adds 7 per cent to its GDP. Enthused locals, who invested in hotels and homestays, are unable to repay loans. The J&K government has petitioned the Centre to help these minister Amit Shah, too,visited J&K on May 29-31. Agenda: to secure the Amarnath yatra that begins on July 3. A 50,000-strong detail will guard the routes to the cave, via Pahalgam and Ganderbal. There's zero tolerance for to India Today MagazineMust Watch
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
The small boat migrant trying to smuggle himself OUT of Britain: Afghan chronicles his life of 'depression, isolation and poverty' in the UK after crossing the Channel in 2024
This is the moment an Afghan small boat migrant tries to smuggle himself out of Britain on a lorry after being left feeling 'depressed and isolated' by life in the UK. Zahir has made four attempts to sneak into HGVs leaving the Port of Dover in a bid to relocate to Germany, but has failed each time and now sleeps in a London park. The 29-year-old said he fled Afghanistan when the Taliban found out his family had helped supply food to British and American forces. He was granted asylum in France and had a job in a slaughterhouse before paying smugglers €1,500 (£1,260) to take him over the Channel to the UK in August 2024. But he now bitterly regrets this decision and says the idealised picture he was given of life in Britain has not turned out to be the reality - even as record numbers of migrants continue arriving here from France. Zahir, who did not provide his surname, now wants to get out of the country as soon as possible by stowing away in a lorry to the Continent. 'It was a big mistake. I came here because of my mum – she was always saying ''we helped them so they will help you''.' The Afghan began crying as he told of feeling severely depressed after being removed to a remote area of the UK. Zahir also complained of not being allowed to work while his asylum claim was processed. 'I used to say ''hello, how are you?' to people but they weren't interested. Nobody has offered me the chance to go to college to learn English. I told the Home Office I was very depressed,' he said. 'I didn't mind living there, it's that there were just four people [in the accommodation]. Nobody would talk to me so how can I live my life? I couldn't speak English.' Asylum seekers can receive up to £3,000 if they agree to return to their home country. But Zahir believes he will be killed if he goes back to Afghanistan and wants to go to Germany instead to reunite with family friends. The first time he tried to hide in a lorry leaving Dover he was discovered during a random Border Force check. The other three times he was seen by the drivers themselves. The asylum seeker had been living in Home Office accommodation before deciding to leave and go to London, where he knew other Afghans. But this means he is now cut off from official support and is now living in a park in London, where he sleeps under a children's slide and relies on food donated by locals. 'My main priority is accommodation, and I just really want to sleep. The park is not safe for me. Drug addicts are asking me for cigarettes,' he said. Zahir took his initial decision to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban came to power in 2021 and found official records that showed his father and brother had been working at a Western military base. They found his father and interrogated him about his children's whereabouts before killing him. Zahir said they also murdered his brother and shared a picture of his body that he keeps on his mobile phone. After travelling through Iran, Turkey, Greece, Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia and Italy he made it to France, where he was granted asylum and worked in a slaughterhouse in Toulouse. He puts his decision to go to the UK partly down to the influence of his mother, who said he should go there 'because they are good for humanity'. After contacting Kurdish people smugglers, Zahir described making his way across the Channel in an overcrowded boat with 70 people onboard. The story of Zahir, revealed to The National, parallels with that of 25-year-old Alaa Eldin, who revealed last year how he was living under a rowing boat on a beach in Kent. The Syrian had been trying to escape the UK since last summer when he was evicted from a Home Office hotel in Leeds. Admittedly, both their stories are extremely rare – with far more asylum seekers continuing to travel to Britain by chancing their lives in the Channel. Sir Keir Starmer has admitted the public has 'every right to be angry' about the issue after more than a thousand migrants made the journey in a single day for the first time this year. Home Office data showed 1,194 migrants arrived in 18 boats on Saturday. But Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described Sir Keir's words as 'rubbish', claiming that even Defence Secretary John Healey had acknowledged ministers had 'lost control' of the borders. Saturday's figures were the first time daily crossings topped a thousand in 2025, and prompted Mr Healey to claim Britain had 'lost control' over the last five years, implicating the former Tory government. Writing on social media site X on Monday, the Prime Minister said: 'You have every right to be angry about small boat crossings. 'I'm angry too. We are ramping up our efforts to smash the people smuggling gangs at source.' He claimed hundreds of boats and engines had been 'seized', raids on illegal working were up, and 'almost 30,000 people' had been returned. But Mrs Badenoch hit back, responding: 'Rubbish! Even the Defence Secretary admits the govt has 'lost control' of our borders.' Small boat arrivals are 'up 95% from this point in 2023', she said, and claimed ministers had 'scrapped the only viable deterrent': the previous Conservative government's Rwanda plan. Sir Keir had earlier insisted the Rwanda plan 'didn't deter anybody', after his decision to scrap it was highlighted while he visited Glasgow for a major defence announcement. He added: 'I'm not up for gimmicks. I'm up for the hard work of working with partners, enhancing the powers that law enforcement have, in my determination to take down the gangs that are running this vile trade.' Saturday's crossings brought the provisional annual total so far of migrants who have made the journey to 14,811. This is 42 per cent higher than the same point last year (10,448) and 95% up from the same point in 2023 (7,610). It is still lower than the highest daily total of 1,305 arrivals since data began in 2018, which was recorded on September 3, 2022.
Express Tribune
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
'This is for every woman'
Following four years of a legal battle in the Noor Mukadam case, the Supreme Court of Pakistan upheld Zahir Jaffer's death sentence on Tuesday. Led by Justice Hashim Kakar, three members including Justices Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Ali Baqar Najafi presided over the bench for the third hearing of Zahir's appeal against his death sentence, which it later dismissed. Zahir's death sentence by the trial court had already been upheld by the Islamabad High Court. "This is a victory for all the women of Pakistan. It shows that our justice system can deliver justice and should give women more confidence in the legal process," Noor's friend, Shafaq Zaidi, told AFP. "This was our last resort, and it's hard to put into words what this outcome means to us." Under Article 45, the power to grant Zahir pardon, reprieve and respite, and to remit, suspend or commute his sentence now lies with the President. "After four long years of relentless struggle, we finally have #JusticeForNoor," said the Instagram statement by handle Justice For Noor, run by the deceased's friends. "This verdict is more than a decision - it is a powerful reminder that women's lives matter, their voices will be heard, and their stories will not be silenced. This is not just for Noor. This is for every woman in Pakistan." Artists weigh in Artists and activists were also quick to laud the decision regarding the case, which caused nationwide outrage after it was first brought to light in 2021. The news prompted reactions from various celebrities. Mahira Khan reshared the post on Instagram Stories with a dove emoji, while Mawra Hocane wrote, "Justice for Noor, served." Aiman Khan offered a simple prayer: "Alhamdulillah." Also sharing the news on Instagram Stories, Dananeer Mobeen wrote, "No amount of torture and punishment will ever be enough for this monster. Rest in peace, Noor." Meanwhile, Osman Khalid Butt penned his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter). Referring to Noor's father, he wrote, "For almost four years, Shaukat uncle kept reassuring us that he had full faith in the judicial system. Alhamdulillah, the Supreme Court has upheld Zahir's death sentence today after a strong rebuttal by the prosecution team. I would like to thank the SC for honouring his belief that, in the end, justice would triumph." In a different note, Osman reassessed the dominance of justice over privilege, reminding his followers that Noor's family won this battle against an influential perpetrator. "The assumption that both parties were 'equally powerful', and that Noor's background alone secured her justice, is not only incorrect, but it also takes away from landmark judgement," he observed. "That Zahir's conviction was upheld despite his family's reach and legal resources is the real story." The Ehde Wafa actor stressed that the ruling has set a powerful precedent, warning privileged criminals that they can't easily flee their crimes and that their status will grant them no leniency when it comes to gender-based violence. "As a lawyer friend once said: it's not the background of a victim that prejudices a case, but that of the perpetrator, who is then let off." He acknowledged that the verdict wasn't inevitable and that the defence had prepared an "exhaustive" case for not just a reduced sentence but for Zahir's complete acquittal. "Every legal loophole that could be exploited, was." Admitting that he holds some grievances, he added, "I have strong objections to some of the statements made by the SC bench (which I'll discuss separately). However, the court upheld the death sentence despite minor procedural and protocol flaws in evidence recovery. Justice prevailed over red-tape protocols." Osman concluded that the case will be used as a strong source for all future cases of a similar "heinous nature", carving out a path for other victims to be brought to justice. "It is a roadmap for all victims who might be silenced or dismissed. Recognise and celebrate that." Bittersweet sentiments Noor was 27 years old when she was found brutally murdered inside Zahir's residence in Islamabad's F-7/4 sector. Further investigation revealed that, prior to her death, she had been tortured by a knuckleduster and beheaded. The case prompted an outpouring of sympathy and grief towards the victim, her friends, and family - especially her father, former ambassador Shaukat Ali Mukadam, who fought long and hard to bring his daughter's killer to justice. The recent news has reignited the internet's emphatic outcry against femicide. Relief over the SC ruling hung in the balance, as many social media users reluctantly celebrated the new development. "Justice delayed but served. Thinking of both Noor and her father today. This is a country where fathers routinely kill their own daughters in the name of so-called honour, but Noor's father fought tirelessly for justice for her even after she was gone. May her family find peace now," an X user hoped. Another wrote, "Noor Mukadam will never come home. But today, justice did. Zahir Jaffer's final appeal has been rejected. His death sentence stands. Let this verdict echo: women are not disposable. Her voice became a reckoning. This is for every woman who was ever silenced."
Business Recorder
21-05-2025
- Business Recorder
Noor Mukaddam case: SC upholds death sentence of Jaffer
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Tuesday upheld the death sentence of Zahir Jaffer for the gruesome murder of Noor Mukaddam. A three-member bench, headed by Justice Hashim Kakar, and comprising Justices Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Ali Baqar Najafi, dismissed Zahir's appeal against the Islamabad High Court (IHC)'s verdict. The death sentence in rape charge has been commuted to life imprisonment, and 10 years sentence in abduction charge has been reduced to one year. However, maintained the earlier orders to Zahir to pay Rso.5 million to Noor's legal heir. The bench also reduced the sentences of gardener Jan Muhammad and watchman Iftikhar, saying that the time the accused already served in jail is sufficient. Noor, aged 27 years, was found murdered at Zahir's Islamabad residence in July 2021, with the probe revealing she was tortured before being beheaded. Zahir's death sentence by the trial court was upheld by the IHC, which had also turned his jail term over rape charges into a second death penalty. The police had charged Jaffer, a US national, with murder. At the outset of the proceedings, Barrister Salman Safdar, appearing on behalf of Zahir, argued that the prosecution's entire case relied on CCTV footage and DVR recordings, stressing that the evidence must be beyond reasonable doubt to support a conviction. He questioned the chain of custody and insisted the footage could not be accepted without thorough verification. He said that the evidence against the appellant must be beyond reasonable doubt. He further contended that the court could not go beyond the footage presented as evidence. 'The footage presented by the prosecution in the Islamabad High Court failed to play,' he added. Justice Kakar responded: 'You have already accepted the CCTV footage, but now you are objecting it veracity.' He added that the Punjab Forensic Science Laboratory had also confirmed the footage was not tampered with. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Noor Mukadam case: SC upholds Zahir Jaffer's death sentence
The Supreme Court upheld on Tuesday the death sentence of Zahir Jaffer for the murder of Noor Mukadam,Aaj News reported. Zahir is accused of murdering and beheading Noor Mukadam, the daughter of Shaukat Mukadam who served as Pakistan's ambassador to South Korea and Kazakhstan, on July 20. Zahir was convicted for Noor's murder. A three-member bench, headed by Justice Hashim Kakar and comprising Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Ali Baqar Najafi heard Barrister Salman Safdar, Zahir's counsel argument. Advocate Shah Khawar was present on behalf of Noor's father and also presented his arguments. Background Noor was found murdered at a residence in Sector F-7/4 on July 20, 2022. A first information report (FIR) was registered against Zahir under Section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of the victim's father. As per the FIR, Shaukat said Noor called to tell them that she was travelling to Lahore with some friends and would return in a day or two. On Tuesday afternoon, the complainant said he received a call from Zahir, who informed Shaukat that Noor was not with him, the FIR said. Noor Mukadam's father demands capital punishment for Zahir Jaffer At around 10pm the same day, the victim's father received a call from Kohsar police station, informing him that Noor had been murdered. Police subsequently took the complainant to Zahir's house where he discovered that his 'daughter has been brutally murdered with a sharp-edged weapon and beheaded', the FIR said.
