ISLAMABAD: A sessions court in Islamabad has announced its verdict in the Noor Mukadam case and sentenced the prime suspect Zahir Jaffer to death.
The court presided by Additional Sessions judge Atta Rabbani announced the reserved verdict after the completion of arguments by the prosecution and defence earlier this week. The trial continued for four months and eight days.
Zahir, his father Zakir Jaffer, mother Asmat Adamjee, and other suspects were present in the court when the verdict was announced. Zahir’s household staff Iftikhar and Jamil were sentenced to 10 years in jail. All other suspects, including Zahir’s parents and TherapyWorks employees were acquitted.
According to the court’s short order, Zahir has been sentenced to death under Section 302(b) (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The death sentence is subject to confirmation by the Islamabad High Court.
He has also been sentenced to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs200,000 under Section 376 (punishment for rape) of the PPC. The court also ordered Zahir to pay Rs0.5 million to Noor’s legal heir. In case of non-payment, the amount would be realised as arrears of land revenue and in case of non-realisation, he would have to undergo six months simple imprisonment.
Additionally, he has been sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs100,000 for kidnapping in order to murder (Section 364) and one year of rigorous imprisonment for wrongful confinement (Section 342).
The imprisonment sentences would run concurrently with the benefit of Section 382(B) (period of detention to be considered while awarding sentence of imprisonment) of the Criminal Procedure Code granted to the convict.
The case
Following multiple twists and deferrals, the trial court had finally reached a decision in the high-profile case after the counsel representing Noor’s father completed his arguments.
Speaking to the media ahead of the verdict’s announcement, Noor’s father, Shaukat Mukadam said that everyone is hopeful that Noor will get justice. “The murderer and his accomplices will get punishment and rule of law will prevail,” Shaukat said “I pray that the decision of Noor Mukadam murder case is based on justice.”
Noor, aged 27, was found dead at the residence of prime suspect, Zahir Jaffer, in Islamabad’s upscale Sector F-7/4 on July 20, 2021. After an first information report (FIR) was registered under Section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) on behalf of Noor’s father, Zahir was arrested with murder weapon and bloodstained clothes from the crime scene on the day of the killing.
According to Noor’s father, Zahir killed her with a sharp instrument and severed her head. As the police went deeper into investigations, Zahir’s parents were found involved in concealing evidence and assisting their son in the crime. Both Zahir’s mother and father were arrested on July 25, 2021.
The trial officially kicked off on October 20, 2021, when Zahir was formally charged for the crime by an Islamabad court. Besides him, two of the family’s domestic employees were also indicted.
The trial comprised of 25 hearings in total, while Zahir tried to prove himself a mentally ill throughout the trial. However, the trial court declared him physically and mentally fit.
The case took a new turn on February 10, when Zahir pleaded not guilty to the crime On behalf of the main accused, his lawyer submitted his client’s defence in the case in a questionnaire given by the court.
The accused then claimed before the court that on July 20 the victim invited her friends to the said party. He added he was alone at home at the time, as his parents and other family members were in Karachi for Eid celebrations. He also claimed that the victim’s father is an “influential” person and got him involved in the case by pressurising the police.
