Notes on a Scandal

Notes On A Scandal get featured in : "In this podcast, one of Pakistan’s first in the true crime realm, we travel to Karachi in the late 1960s and early ’70s, when the city’s lust-fueled nightlife and high-society scandals would rival the most sensational eras of Hollywood or New York.

This story has it all: the mysterious death of a tortured poet, Mustafa Zaidi, whose body was found next to his unconscious muse and lover, the socialite Shahnaz Gul, renown for her beauty; a rumored su***de pact; an exhumation; a murder trial; breathless media coverage; and even revenge p**n, which was not digital as we understand it today, but printed on thousands of fliers.

The show’s hosts, Tooba Masood
and Saba Imtiaz, Pakistan-based journalists, have been researching the circumstances surrounding Zaidi’s death for years. Over two seasons, they share their findings in great detail, attempt to apply logic to the gossip of that time and debate the legitimacy of the possible scenarios. This is an independent podcast, and some might find the format — a conversation between the hosts, with a couple of notable guests in Season 2 — simplistic, but there is nothing simple or boring about the tale they’ve resurfaced."

To read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/28/arts/true-crime-streaming-international.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare (link in stories)

For book updates, you can sign up here: https://sabaimtiaz.github.io/societygirl/ (link in bio)

Notes on a Scandal gets featured on NPR’s Morning Edition.

“Over 50 years ago, a poet was found dead in Karachi, Pakistan. The incident triggered a media frenzy, but the murder mystery faded from memory — until now.”

Listen here: https://www.npr.org/2023/08/07/1192432614/listeners-are-enthralled-by-pakistans-fist-true-crime-podcast (link in stories + bio)

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Special shout out to Diaa Hadid &

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.

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The finale is out now on , Google Podcasts, , , , Overcast — and wherever you get your podcasts.

On the penultimate episode of this season — and the podcast — and 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.

This episode — “Verdict" — is out now on , Google Podcasts, , , , Overcast — and wherever you get your podcasts!

Image: Star, October 9, 1971, photo courtesy: Dawn Library, Karachi

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On the latest Notes on a Scandal episode: As legal proceedings against Shahnaz Gul get underway, her lawyer and the prosecution battle it out in court in a bail hearing. 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.

This episode — “Romeo and Juliet go to court" — is out now on , Google Podcasts, , , , Overcast — and wherever you get your podcasts!



Image 1: Star, February, 1971
Image 2: Mashriq, December 6, 1970
Image 3: Mashriq, December 16, 1970
Image 4: Mashriq, December 26, 1970

Photos courtesy: Dawn Library and Liaquat National Library in Karachi

*ADVISORY: This episode contains mentions of su***de. listener discretion is advised.

On the latest Notes on a Scandal:
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? Tooba and Saba 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.

Photos
Image 1:Afkar, Mustafa Zaidi edition, from the Bedil Library archive in Karachi.
Image 2: a photograph of the case file
Image 3: Jang, Oct 15 1970, from the Liaquat National Library in Karachi.

This episode — “Body of lies" — is out now on , Google Podcasts, , , , Overcast — and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Today is the 52nd death anniversary of the poet and former civil servant Mustafa Zaidi. The verses are from a noha Mustafa wrote on the demise of his elder brother, Mujtaba Zaidi.

Today is the 92nd birth anniversary of the late poet and former bureaucrat Syed Mustafa Hasnain Zaidi, born in Allahabad on October 10, 1930.

Photo: Naqsh, Mustafa Zaidi number. Courtesy Bedil Library’s collection

ADVISORY: This episode contains scenes of a distressing nature. Listener discretion is advised.

On the latest Notes on a Scandal:
We go back to 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.

This episode — “Bringing up the bodies" — is out now on , Google Podcasts, , , , Overcast — and wherever you get your podcasts!

Image 2: Jasarat November 11, 1970
Image 3: Jasarat November 10, 1970.
Image 4: Mashriq November 11, 1970
Archives courtesy the Liaquat National Library.

On the latest Notes on a Scandal episode:
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.

This episode — “Drama at Drigh Road" — is out now on , Google Podcasts, , , , Overcast — and wherever you get your podcasts!



Image: "The many faces of Shahnaz in court yesterday" published in Star newspaper (January 1, 1971). Courtesy the Dawn archives.

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Shahnaz's appearances in court were a magnet for the press and the public. This is a photo of people waiting to catch a glimpse of Shahnaz Gul at the balcony of Karachi's City Court on November 7, 1970.

Photo: Mashriq, November 9, 1970

On the latest Notes on a Scandal episode: 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.

Lawyer Sara Malkani joins this week’s episode to talk about the trial, and how women are treated by the criminal justice system in Pakistan, and what has changed for women in the past fifty years.

This episode — “Trial by Fire” — is out now on , Google Podcasts, , , , Overcast — and wherever you get your podcasts!

On the latest Notes on a Scandal episode:

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. Lawyer Sara Malkani joins this week’s episode to talk about the trial, and how women are treated by the criminal justice system in Pakistan, and what has changed for women in the past fifty years.

This episode — “Trial by Fire” — is out now on , Google Podcasts, , , , Overcast — and wherever you get your podcasts!



Image of Shahnaz Gul from Mashriq newspaper, published December 5, 1970. Courtesy the Liaquat National Library archive.

Image1: In an undated photograph, Mustafa Zaidi stands with Field Marshal President Ayub Khan.

Image2: A blurb from the 1963 National Assembly budget debate which discusses the Profumo scandal and President Ayub Khan’s cameo in it.

The first episode of the second season of takes us back to the 1960s and the Profumo scandal where a British politician (John Profumo, Secretary of War) had an affair with 19-year-old Christine Keeler. The two met in 1961 at a party hosted at the Cliveden estate where Pakistan's Field Marshal Ayub Khan was also in attendance.

Less than a decade later, Mustafa Zaidi printed flyers calling Shahnaz Gul, Pakistan's Christine Keeler, a title that would stick with her forever.

Archives courtesy: National Assembly and Naqsh (Mustafa Zaidi number/1971) 

Coverage of the Profumo scandal in the Pakistani press in 1963.

The first episode of the second season of takes us back to the 1960s and the Profumo scandal where a British politician (John Profumo, Secretary of War) had an affair with 19-year-old Christine Keeler. The two met in 1961 at a party hosted at the Cliveden estate where Pakistan's Field Marshal Ayub Khan was also in attendance.
Less than a decade later, Mustafa Zaidi printed flyers calling Shahnaz Gul, Pakistan's Christine Keeler, a title that would stick with her forever.

Archives courtesy: Dawn
Images: 18 June, 1963; 29 June, 1963; 02 July, 1963; 21 September, 1963 and 27 September, 1963

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

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

Notes on a Scandal featured in the podcasts newsletter.

Stay tuned for season 2: The State vs Shahnaz Gul. First episode out tomorrow!

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A feature on in The Print! You can read more here: https://theprint.in/go-to-pakistan/pakistanis-latch-onto-notes-on-a-scandal-true-crime-podcast-on-death-of-a-poet/1060668/

Stay tuned for season 2: The State vs Shahnaz Gul

A feature on #notesonascandal in the @theprintindia. Stay tuned for our next season: The State vs Shahnaz Gul. Link in stories #murdermystery #mustafazaidi #shahnazgul #societygirl #karachi #pakistan #pakistanhistory #southasia #southasianhistory #truecrimepodcast #truecrime #podcastersofinstagram #podcasting #poet #Urdupoetry

A feature on in . Stay tuned for our next season: The State vs Shahnaz Gul.

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A feature on in Arab News — stay tuned for our next season: The State vs Shahnaz Gul

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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

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In the 1960s, Shahnaz Gul and Saleem Khan moved to Karachi from Lahore — a city where the nightlife was still “in disco terms, frighteningly small.” Here’s a story on Lahore nightlife from Pakistan Times, published February 23, 1971 — from the Liaquat National Library archive.

The lives of the elite in the 1960s and 1970s are quite often referred to as some sort of golden era or seen as representative of the time for the entire country — when it is in fact nostalgia by and for the 1%. In the 1970s, critique of the elite in Pakistan didn’t just come from the right-wing, but also from the left. In November 1971, the socialist magazine Al Fatah published a story attacking industrialists who were partying while the country was at war.

(Source: Al Fatah, October 28-November 4, 1971 / Marghoob Raza’s archive, digitised by Mansoor Raza)

Trapped with Shahnaz and Mustafa recording season 2: the State vs. Shahnaz Gul

Strangers in the Night — Episode 3 of Notes on a Scandal is now live on , , , and wherever you get your podcasts!

We introduce Shahnaz Gul, the mysterious and much-maligned woman at the centre of the events of Mustafa Zaidi's death. In the late 1960s, Shahnaz and her husband Saleem moved to Karachi... and into the arms of Pakistan's cosmopolitan, swinging elite.

Link: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTAxNDc0LnJzcw/episode/QnV6enNwcm91dC05OTM0NjM0?ep=14

As news spread across Karachi — and Pakistan — about Mustafa Zaidi’s death, with friends and family arriving at the KDA house where Mustafa was wound, word also emerged about the woman who was at the house: Shahnaz Gul, a minor socialite, who was found unconscious. She was taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, and this photo — of a cop by her bedside — would later cause speculation that the police favoured her. But in reality, the officer was actually an acquaintance. Much of the reportage in the weeks after Mustafa’s death was based on speculation and gossip, turning this story into a full blown scandal. In the next episodes of Notes on a Scandal, we’ll talk more about the life and times of Shahnaz Gul.

Photos:

1. Shahnaz Gul in a hospital bed. Caption in Jang newspaper: “A police officer in the hospital is draping Shahnaz’s face” (Jang, Oct 15, 1970. From the Sindh Archives)
2. Mustafa Zaidi’s body being brought out from the morgue. Caption in Jang newspaper: “Mustafa Zaidi’s body is being brought out of the morgue by his near and dear ones” (Jang, Oct 15, 1970. From the Sindh Archives)
3. Shahnaz Gul and Mustafa Zaidi at an event, published in multiple newspapers and magazines (Akbar-e-Jahan magazine, 8-9 December 1970. From the Bedil Library archive)

After Mustafa Zaidi’s death in 1970, there was a “tremendous” increase in interest in his work, Dawn reported. There were special editions of magazines like Afkar, and Al Fatah magazine printed some of Mustafa’s unpublished poems in the magazine. Click through for two of the poems!

Credits:
‘Interest in Mustafa Zaidi’s writings’ — Dawn, Jan 6, 1971 / Dawn Library

‘Asr-e-baghawat Ki Aandhiyan’ — Al Fatah, Oct 28-Nov 4, 1972 / Marghoob Raza’s archive, digitised by Mansoor Raza

‘Jalte Hain Marghzar’ — Al Fatah, February 3-10, 1972 / Marghoob Raza’s archive, digitised by Mansoor Raza

Closed Doors — Episode 2 of Notes on a Scandal is available on , and wherever you get your podcasts!

Link: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTAxNDc0LnJzcw/episode/QnV6enNwcm91dC05NzgzMDM0?ep=14

In 1970, Mustafa Zaidi moved to Karachi, where the city’s elite were regulars at hotels like the Metropole. You could dance the night away at the Samar or sit at the bar and watch the band play or catch Marzyeh Kanga perform a special cabaret as a waiter went around the room serving expensive whiskey or enjoy a wholesome meal of Dhansak with the family at the Shalimar on Sundays.

The Metropole Hotel was inaugurated by the Shah of Iran in 1951 with permanent suites reserved for the Shah, Queen Elizabeth of England, the Aga Khan and the Nawab of Bahawalpur. It was here that guests would frequently see Madame Noor Jehan and Shamim Ara getting their hair and makeup done.

Photos
Metropole Hotel/Happy Minwalla

Archive
Herald — January 1970, Dawn Library