Category:Zafar Younis

Zafar Younis (played by Raza Jaffrey) was 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. Throughout series 4 and 5, he was shown to be having a growing relationship with fellow MI5 member, Jo Portman.

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) asked Zaf to stay with the team. He remained a loyal team member, devoted to his job and the protection of the UK. He was from a Muslim background but was not particularly devout. He was, however, sensitive to the possibility that either he or his culture was being patronised or misrepresented. He also despised those who use their religion as a form of special pleading or to engage in facile rhetoric.

Zafar enjoyed being in the field, instead of being behind a desk, and excelled in undercover work. However, he tended not to look at the risks too clearly, and often his quick wit could verge on facetiousness. To quote Raza Jaffrey, the actor who portrayed 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."

Previously, Adam Carter and Zaf worked together in MI6 before Adam left to join MI5. Zaf looked up to Adam, almost in hero worship, but disliked the fact that Adam often "mollycoddled" him. Zaf confronted Adam about this and Adam 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. He was then tortured and killed.