Announcing: Society Girl -- A Tale of Sex, Lies and Scandal, the new book by Saba Imtiaz & Tooba Masood-Khan (Roli Books, 2024). The book explores the circumstances around the death of the poet and former civil servant Mustafa Zaidi in October 1970, and the ensuing scandal that became a fixture in Pakistani newspapers. This new investigation into a story of twisted motives and murderous intentions, of it-girls and playboys, of class and culture, and a press out for blood and salaciousness, tells a far more complex tale than anyone could have possibly imagined.

On this special episode of Notes on a Scandal, Saba and Tooba are interviewed by Sanam Maher, the author of The Sensational Life and Death of Qandeel Baloch, about their book Society Girl: A Tale of Sex, Lies and Scandal.

Buy Society Girl now:
Kindle Edition: [US] - [UK] - [India]
India: [CMYK] - [Amazon]- All major bookstores in India!
Pakistan edition: Coming this month!
For more about the book & bonus content: societygirlbook.com

Thank you for listening! Find us on Instagram and Twitter:

Instagram: @murdermystery70

Tooba Masood-Khan
Twitter: @tabahitooba
Instagram: @tabahitooba

Saba Imtiaz
Twitter: @sabaimtiaz
Instagram: @sabaimtiaz

Announcing: Society Girl - A Tale of Sex, Lies, and Scandal, the new book by Saba Imtiaz & Tooba Masood-Khan (Roli Books, 2024). The book explores the circumstances around the death of the poet and former civil servant Mustafa Zaidi in October 1970, and the ensuing scandal that became a fixture in Pakistani newspapers. This new investigation into a story of twisted motives and murderous intentions, of it-girls and playboys, of class and culture, and a press out for blood and salaciousness, tells a far more complex tale than anyone could have possibly imagined.

On an upcoming episode of Notes on a Scandal, Saba and Tooba are interviewed by Sanam Maher, the author of The Sensational Life and Death of Qandeel Baloch, about their book Society Girl: A Tale of Sex, Lies and Scandal.

Buy Society Girl now:
Kindle Edition: [US] - [UK] - [India]
India: [CMYK] - [Amazon]- All major bookstores in India!
For more about the book & bonus content: societygirlbook.com

Thank you for listening! Find us on Instagram and Twitter:

Instagram: @murdermystery70

Tooba Masood-Khan
Twitter: @tabahitooba
Instagram: @tabahitooba

Saba Imtiaz
Twitter: @sabaimtiaz
Instagram: @sabaimtiaz

In the finale episode of Notes on a Scandal, Saba and Tooba look at what happened to Shahnaz Gul after she was cleared of the charge of killing Mustafa Zaidi, the sightings of Shahnaz in Karachi over the years, and how people viewed her in the years since she captured the country's imagination. Later on in the episode, we answer questions and discuss theories sent to us by listeners.

Thank you for listening! Find us on Instagram and Twitter:

Instagram: @murdermystery70

Tooba Masood-Khan
Twitter: @tabahitooba
Instagram: @tabahitooba

Saba Imtiaz
Twitter: @sabaimtiaz
Instagram: @sabaimtiaz

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 Dawn Library

Thank you for listening! Find us on Instagram and Twitter:

Instagram: @murdermystery70

Tooba Masood-Khan
Twitter: @tabahitooba
Instagram: @tabahitooba

Saba Imtiaz
Twitter: @sabaimtiaz
Instagram: @sabaimtiaz

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: @murdermystery70

Tooba Masood-Khan
Twitter: @tabahitooba
Instagram: @tabahitooba

Saba Imtiaz
Twitter: @sabaimtiaz
Instagram: @sabaimtiaz

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: Afkar, Mustafa Zaidi edition. From the Bedil Library archive in Karachi.

Thank you for listening! Find us on Instagram and Twitter:

Instagram: @murdermystery70

Tooba Masood-Khan
Twitter: @tabahitooba
Instagram: @tabahitooba

Saba Imtiaz
Twitter: @sabaimtiaz
Instagram: @sabaimtiaz

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 Instagram @murdermystery70

Thank you for listening! Find us on Instagram and Twitter:

Instagram: @murdermystery70

Tooba Masood-Khan
Twitter: @tabahitooba
Instagram: @tabahitooba

Saba Imtiaz
Twitter: @sabaimtiaz
Instagram: @sabaimtiaz

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 is also co-coordinator for the Urban Violence Research Network. Her book Insecure Guardians critically explores how security policies, and the interests of insecure states and elites, influence the culture of policing in postcolonial contexts.

Photo: 'The Many Faces of Shahnaz -- in court yesterday' published in Star newspaper, January 1, 1971. Courtesy: Dawn archives

Thank you for listening! Find us on Instagram and Twitter:

Instagram: @murdermystery70

Tooba Masood-Khan
Twitter: @tabahitooba
Instagram: @tabahitooba

Saba Imtiaz
Twitter: @sabaimtiaz
Instagram: @sabaimtiaz