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SC Adjourns Hearing in Zahir Jaffer Death Sentence Appeal
SC adjourns hearing on Zahir Jaffer’s death sentence appeal till tomorrow as his lawyer argues no mental health board was formed. Noor Mukadam’s father seeks justice after 3 years.
ND
by News Desk
2025-05-19
SC Adjourns Hearing in Zahir Jaffer Death Sentence Appeal

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday adjourned till Tuesday the hearing of an appeal against the death sentence of Zahir Jaffer, the man convicted for the brutal murder of 27-year-old Noor Mukadam, after the accused’s lawyer argued that no medical board was ever constituted to assess his client’s mental health.

The case, one of the most widely followed murder trials in recent Pakistani history, saw Zahir sentenced to death by a trial court in 2022. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) not only upheld the death penalty for murder but also converted his 25-year sentence for rape into a second death sentence.

A three-member SC bench, led by Justice Hashim Kakar and including Justices Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Ali Baqar Najafi, heard the appeal on Monday. Zahir’s counsel, Barrister Salman Safdar, presented medical records dating back to 2013 and claimed that his client had been mentally unfit during trial and at the time of the crime. He added that despite multiple pleas, no medical board was constituted by the lower courts.

Justice Kakar responded critically, asking why such objections were not raised timely during trial. The sessions court had earlier dismissed a plea to constitute a medical board, terming it a delay tactic lacking medical evidence.

Safdar also questioned the circumstantial nature of the evidence, citing discrepancies in the FIR timing, forensic findings, and the treatment of Therapy Works employee Amjad as a suspect rather than a witness. He said there were no eyewitnesses aside from officials and Noor’s father.

Justice Kakar noted that circumstantial evidence can still be compelling and emphasized that unnecessary delays in such grave matters would no longer be tolerated. He remarked that individuals should not remain in death cells for decades awaiting resolution.

The appeal also includes petitions challenging the acquittal of Zahir’s parents — businessman Zakir Jaffer and Asmat Adamji — and the co-accused domestic staff. Noor’s father, retired diplomat Shaukat Mukadam, has pleaded for early resolution of the case, which has remained in the Supreme Court for over a year and a half.

During Monday’s hearing, Safdar continued to claim that Zahir’s mental state was compromised and insisted that the trial court had failed to account for it. His arguments will resume Tuesday, followed by rebuttals from Advocate Shah Khawar, representing Noor’s father.

Case Background

Noor Mukadam was murdered on July 20, 2021, at Zahir’s residence in Islamabad’s Sector F-7/4. According to police, she was tortured and beheaded with a knife. Zahir was arrested at the crime scene, and his DNA and fingerprints matched the evidence collected.

In February 2022, a district and sessions court found him guilty of murder and rape, sentencing him to death. Two household staff were also convicted, while Zahir’s parents and Therapy Works employees were acquitted.

In March 2023, the IHC upheld the trial court’s verdict and converted Zahir’s rape sentence into an additional death penalty, citing the heinous nature of the crime and compelling evidence. The following month, Zahir appealed the IHC ruling in the Supreme Court, challenging the handling of evidence and alleging mental unfitness.

With the appeal now in its final stage, the nation awaits the Supreme Court’s decision on whether justice will be upheld or reconsidered in light of new claims surrounding the accused’s mental health.

 
Tagged:

PakistanJudiciary

ZahirJaffer

supremecourtpakistan

JusticeForNoor

NoorMukadamCase
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