ISLAMABAD: A local court in Islamabad today awarded death sentence to Zahir Jaffer for the gruesome murder of Noor Mukadam after a long-drawn trial of more than four months.
The court reserved the verdict two days ago and announced it today (Feb 24).
Zahir’s household staff Iftikhar and Jameel — both co-accused in the case — were sentenced to 10 years in jail, while all others, including Zahir’s parents and TherapyWorks employees, were acquitted.
Additional Sessions Judge Ata Rabbani announced the verdict, which was reserved on Tuesday following months of hearings.
Zahir, his father Zakir Jaffer, mother Asmat Adamjee and other suspects were present in the court when the verdict was announced.
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 at Tuesday’s hearing. The trial of the gruesome murder continued for four months and eight days.
When the court reserved the decision, speaking to the media Noor’s father, Shaukat Mukadam said that everyone was 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.”
The murder
27-year-old Noor 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, former Pakistani ambassador Shaukat Ali Mukadam, Zahir killed Noor 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
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 employees — Jamil and Jan Mohammad — were also indicted, along with Zahoor.
The trial comprised of 25 hearings in total, while Zahir tried to prove himself a mentally ill throughout the trial.
