On the penultimate episode of this season — and the podcast — Saba and Tooba continue tracking the proceedings against Shahnaz Gul in a district court in Karachi, taking place while the country was engulfed in war. In 1972, a verdict is announced in the case of the State vs Shahnaz Gul. For the finale, we invite questions and thoughts about the season and its themes. If there’s anything you’d like to share about your knowledge of the case or if you just have a conspiracy theory — send in your questions and thoughts on Twitter and Instagram. Photo: Star newspaper, October 9, 1971. Courtesy Daw ..read more

As legal proceedings against Shahnaz Gul get underway, her lawyer and the prosecution battle it out in court in a bail hearing. Shakespeare is invoked. Shahnaz is held in a police lockup, and then sent to Karachi's Central Jail, where details of her detention are being leaked to reporters. We take a look at the court proceedings of the State vs Shahnaz Gul - from the day Shahnaz Gul is presented before a magistrate to when she gets out on bail. Photo: Published in Star, February 1971. Courtesy Dawn Library.  Thank you for listening! Find us on Instagram and Twitter: Instagram: @murdermy ..read more

ADVISORY: This episode contains mentions of suicide. Listener discretion is advised. How do you connect the dots of a story where so much is missing? Why is there blood at the crime scene? And why did Shahnaz remain unconscious all night -- and is that even possible? Saba and Tooba attempt to understand the forensic investigation into Mustafa Zaidi's death with Dr Summaiya Syed Tariq, the Additional Police Surgeon at Karachi's Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Hospital and a forensic consultant.  This episode features condensed quotes from an interview with Dr Summaiya Syed Tariq. Photo: Afk ..read more

ADVISORY: This episode contains scenes of a distressing nature. Listener discretion is advised. In November 1970, nearly a month after Mustafa Zaidi died, his body was exhumed for a second medical examination, all in a quest for doctors and police officials to figure out: how did Mustafa Zaidi die? What could they find that could help them build a case against their suspect in custody, Shahnaz Gul? Saba and Tooba discuss the dramatic and surreal events of the exhumation, and recall their quest to find Mustafa's grave in Karachi in 2019. The images described in the episode can be viewed on In ..read more

We take a look at the frenzied hours after the arrest of Shahnaz Gul, and how the police in Karachi, Pakistan handled the initial investigation. Later in the episode, we talk to the academic Dr Zoha Waseem, the author of Insecure Guardians: Enforcement, Encounters and Everyday Policing in Postcolonial Karachi, about perceptions of the Karachi police, how they handle cases involving the elite, and the social dynamics at play in a complex investigation like the Mustafa Zaidi case.  About Dr Waseem: Dr Zoha Waseem is an Assistant Professor in Criminology at the University of Warwick, UK. She ..read more

On November 5, 1970, Shahnaz Gul was arrested by the Karachi police on charges of killing Mustafa Zaidi. She was represented by S S Shaikh, one of Karachi's most well-known lawyers. The trial was a media circus -- Shahnaz was hounded by press photographers. Dozens of members of the public went to the hearings, hanging around court to catch a glimpse of Shahnaz, whose legendary beauty is still spoken of with reverence in Karachi. Shahnaz's lawyers maintained that she was innocent. Lawyer Sara Malkani joins the episode to talk about the trial, and how women are treated by the criminal justice sy ..read more

Notes on a Scandal's Season 2 "The State vs Shahnaz Gul" premieres with a recounting of the 1960s saga that led to Mustafa Zaidi printing flyers calling Shahnaz  a Pakistani Christine Keeler. It's the title that would stick with her forever.  Newspaper headlines voiced by Mina Malik Ayub Khan's portrait is courtesy archives of The Mirror (1968 Anniversary Issue) Mentioned on the episode: Netflix - The Crown Season 2 Episode 10 "Mystery Man" https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/80025678 BBC One - The Trial of Christine Keeler https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000ct7b ..read more

A trailer for the upcoming second season of Notes on a Scandal: The State vs Shahnaz Gul.  ..read more

A trailer for the upcoming second season of Notes on a Scandal: The State vs Shahnaz Gul.  Credits: English / Urdu headlines by Mina Malik, a writer and poet based in Lahore who dreams of treading the boards. Recitation of Mustafa Zaidi's verses, courtesy Zaheer Alam Kidwai ..read more

In the season finale, we discuss the various influential men who were reportedly connected to the case, and why everyone cast around for suspects. We discuss the theories around Mustafa's death and Shahnaz's involvement, and why almost every theory has one gaping hole that can't be explained.   ..read more