ISLAMABAD: The father of Noor Mukadam, Shaukat Ali Mukadam, whose daughter was killed in 2021, has called for an expeditious trial of the case involving the convict Zahir Jaffer.
At a press conference in Islamabad on Sunday, he expressed concern that if such cases remained pending in the courts, they would lose their credibility. He was accompanied by Inamur Rahim, the father of Sarah Inam, and a social activist.
Noor and Sarah’s murders were among the high-profile cases in Pakistan, where they were brutally killed in their homes.
Noor, aged 27, was found murdered at Zahir’s residence in Islamabad’s upscale Sector F-7/4 on July 20, 2021. A court sentenced the suspect to death and gave co-accused Mohammad Iftikhar and Jan Mohammad 10-year imprisonment.
On March 13, 2023, the Islamabad High Court confirmed Zahir’s death sentence and converted his 25-year jail term into another death penalty. However, a month later, the convict challenged the IHC decision in the Supreme Court, claiming that the conviction resulted from an “erroneous appreciation” of the case evidence and that the courts could not identify “fundamental flaws” in the FIR.
Sharing his experience with the legal process, Shaukat explained that they had pursued justice through a lengthy trial, initially believing it was an open-and-shut case with the assurance of a fair trial.
Grieving Father Calls for Justice Amid High-Profile Murders
The victim’s father now lamented that his daughter’s murder case was in the apex court and called for a speedy appeal trial.
He highlighted that Islamabad, in comparison to Karachi and Lahore, had a smaller cityscape, and Zahir’s sister and Noor shared many mutual friends. After Noor’s murder, many women feared that the convict could have also harmed them, as they used to visit his house to meet his sister.
Shaukat also discussed the brutal murder of Sarah Inam, emphasizing the need for justice.
Sarah Inam, a Canadian national, was allegedly murdered by her husband in Islamabad on September 24, 2022. The accused, Shahnawaz Amir, is the son of renowned journalist Ayaz Amir and was arrested on September 23 the previous year.
Shahnawaz was later placed on judicial remand and indicted in the murder case on December 5, 2022.
Inam insisted on not settling with the defense and demanded punishment for the culprit. He spoke about Sarah’s trusting nature and how she took people’s words at face value, often not sharing everything with her parents. Later investigations revealed that Shahnawaz had been in contact with her, as disclosed by her friends and others.
