Zahir Jaffer, prime accused in the Noor Mukadam murder case, was sentenced to death while his parents, Zakir Jaffer and Ismat Adamjee, were acquitted by a sessions courts in Islamabad on Thursday.
Other accused in the case, including Therapy Works employees, were also acquitted by the court, presided by Additional Sessions, Judge Atta Rabbani.
However, the court sentenced two co-accused, Iftikhar (watchman) and Jameel (cook), who helped Zahir murder Noor, to 10 years in jail.
Shaukat Mukadam, the father of the slain woman, said the trial court’s ruling was a victory for justice.
He said the entire nation was praying for justice in the case and thanked the media for keeping the case alive. Mukadam, a retired diplomat, said Zahir Jaffer was given an “exemplary punishment” by the judge.
Background
On July 20, 2021, Noor Mukadam was brutally beheaded and murdered in Islamabad, sparking outrage across the country. Days later #JusticeForNoor trended on social media with Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign Minister Qureshi, and others condemning the incident.
On July 25, the Islamabad police arrested Zahir Jaffer’s parents Zakir Jaffer and Asmat Adamjee, and their household staff, Iftikhar and Jameel on the charges of hiding evidence and being complicit in the crime.
On August 15, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said that the government placed all suspects – including the parents of prime accused Zahir Jaffer – linked to the murder of Noor Mukadam on the no-fly list to bar them from leaving Pakistan.
On September 11, the police submitted an interim challan in the Noor Mukadam murder case to the court, according to which the prime suspect, Zahir Jaffer, confessed to killing Noor after she refused to marry him.
According to reports, the DNA test also showed the victim was raped before being killed.
Zahir later meandered from his confession, claiming mental disability – which was dismissed by the additional sessions court – and then alleging that Noor was indulging in drugs at his house prior to her death.
