Noor Mukadam Murder Case: Court Sentences Zahir Jaffer to Death

Zahir Jaffer, the prime accused in the Noor Mukadam murder case, was sentenced to death, while his parents, Zakir Jaffer and Ismat Adamjee, were acquitted by a local court in Islamabad on Thursday after a 7-month long hearing. The verdict was announced by district and sessions court judge Justice Atta Rabbani.

Meanwhile, Therapy Work employees, who were also accused in the court, were also acquitted by the court, while Jan Mohammad and Iftikhar, the employees of Zahir Jaffer, were sentenced to 10 years in jail. The verdict had been reserved after the completion of arguments by the prosecution and defence earlier this week.

However, the court has finally given its verdict after long-drawn trial over several months. The father of Noor Mukadam, Shaukat Mukadam, said the trial court’s ruling was a victory for justice. The retired diplomat said that Zahir Jaffer was given “exemplary punishment” and thanked the nation, who prayed for justice in the case and the media for keeping the case alive.

According to the details of the verdict, Zahir Jaffer was sentenced to death on the charges of kidnapping, locking up, and murdering Noor Mukadam as well as trying to hide the murder and tampering with the evidence. He was indicted under Sections 302, 109, 176, 201, 364, 342, 368, 511, 376, and 118 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Noor Mukadam’s Murder

It is pertinent to mention that Noor Mukadam was brutally murdered and beheaded by Zahir Jaffer in Islamabad on 20 July 2021 and the incident sparked outrage across the country. #JusticeForNoorMukadam started to trend on social media and everyone condemned the incident, including Prime Minister Imran Khan.

First Information Report (FIR) was lodged by the Noor Mukadam’s father, Shaukat Mukadam, under Section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Zahir Jaffer was arrested with the murder weapon and bloodstained clothes from the crime scene on the day of the killing

The Trial

The entire trial had a lot of twists and turns, including 10^th February when Zahir Jaffer pleaded not guilty for the murder of Noor Mukadam. The accused told the court that he was in a relationship with Noor Mukadam for a long time and their families knew each other as well. However, he added that both of them were not in touch with each other for months.

“On July 18, she voluntarily came to my house with a huge quantity of drugs. Noor told me to host a drug party and I refused,” said Zahir, adding that on July 20, Noor Mukadam invited her friends to the drug party and he was alone at the time with his entire family in Karachi for Eid.

He added that a few hours after he woke up, he found himself tied up in his home, adding that uniformed police and people in civil clothes came and “rescued” him. “When I was rescued, I got to know that Noor was murdered by someone attending the drug party,” he said, adding that victim’s father being an influential person got him involved in the case by pressuring the police.

What do you think of the entire trial of Noor Mukadam murder case? Do you think the court was right to sentence Zahir Jaffer to death? Let us know in the comments below.

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