Zafar Younis

Infobox character
name = Zafar ('Zaf') Younis


caption = Raza Jaffrey as Zafar Younis
portrayer = Raza Jaffrey
gender = Male
first = "The Suffering of Strangers" (2004)
last = "Episode 2"
(2007)
religion = Non-devout Muslim
occupation = Field operative, initially on secondment from MI6
family = Unknown
spouse = Unknown
children = None

Zafar Younis (played by Raza Jaffrey) is a fictional character in the popular British BBC drama "Spooks". Zafar (usually known as Zaf) was first introduced in the "The Suffering of Strangers", where he assisted in saving the life of Fiona Carter.

Fiona and Danny Hunter were being held hostage by terrorists. Although Danny was executed, Fiona was saved. With the death of Danny Hunter, Adam Carter (played by Rupert Penry-Jones) asks Zaf to stay with the team. Since then he has remained a loyal team member, devoted to his job and the protection of the UK. He is from a Muslim background but is not particularly devout. He is, however, sensitive to the possibility that either he or his culture is being patronised or misrepresented. He also despises those who use their religion as a form of special pleading or to engage in facile rhetoric.

Zafar enjoys being in the field, instead of being behind a desk, and excels in undercover work. However, he tends not to look at the risks too clearly, and often his quick wit can verge on facetiousness. To quote Raza Jaffrey, the actor who portrays Zaf, "Zaf is very good at his job," says Raza. "He's hugely ambitious, but knows how much of a sacrifice a career with the intelligence service is. He trusts Adam implicitly and the two have a great rapport. (Zaf) doesn't always agree with (Adam) but he would lay down his life for him, just as he would for any of the team."Citequote

Previously, Adam Carter and Zaf worked together in MI6 before Adam left to join MI5. Zaf looks up to Adam, almost in hero worship, but dislikes the fact that Adam often "mollycoddles" him. Zaf has confronted Adam about this and Adam had assured him that he would never treat Zaf as if he were his babysitter. In season 6, he was kidnapped by terrorists in episode 2, with his ultimate fate being left uncertain throughout the series, until the final episode, when it was revealed he had been sold on to terrorists in Pakistan by those who had captured him and then tortured and killed.

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/spooks/personnel_zy.shtml BBC Spooks Personnel]
* [http://razajaffrey.webs.com/zafaryounis.htm Zafar Younis biography]