The culprit in the Noor Mukadam Murder case filed a petition to re-examine his sentence.

A chilling case returns to the spotlight:

In the 2021 Noor Mukadam death case, the rapist and murderer Zahir Jaffer got punishment for committing heinous crimes. On Monday, he filed a petition against his death sentence. Noor was found dead in Zahir’s home in Islamabad’s Sector F-7/4 in July 2021. Investigations confirmed she had been tortured and later beheaded. Zahir was arrested at the crime scene and later sentenced to death by a trial court. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) also converted his rape sentence into a second death penalty. Now, the Supreme Court is examining Zahir’s plea to overturn those decisions.

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Supreme Court hearing begins:

Justice Hashim Kakar. Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Ali Baqar Najafi heard the case. Zahir’s lawyer, Usman Safdar, started the proceedings by submitting his client’s medical history. He claimed that Zahir had been mentally ill since 2013. Safdar argued that Zahir’s mental condition should be considered in light of his past medical records. He also listed the punishments Zahir received: death for murder, another death sentence (previously a 25-year jail term) for rape, and 10 years in prison for kidnapping.

Questioning the investigation:

Zahir’s lawyer highlighted that initially, police only filed a murder charge on Zahir. The police later added other charges like rape and kidnapping. He claimed the prosecution failed to prove that the crime occurred in Zahir’s residence despite forensic evidence tying the blood and murder weapon to Noor.

An employee from Therapy Works got injured while trying to intervene and was made a suspect instead of a witness. He emphasized that key evidence like CCTV footage and photogrammetry tests were being used unfairly against his client. One such video reportedly showed Noor jumping from the first floor of Zahir’s house. She was trying to escape through a locked gate.

Noor’s family seeks justice:

Shaukat Mukadam is appealing to the court for justice. He wants the release of Zahir’s parents to be overturned. He alleges they helped hide the crime and destroy evidence. In 2022, a district judge found Zahir guilty of both murder and rape. That is why he got sentenced. Moreover, two household staff members were also given 10 years in prison. However, the court acquitted Zahir’s parents and six Therapy Works employees who had arrived at the murder scene before police. Shaukat believes all of them should be held accountable.

Timeline of the crime:

According to the FIR, Shaukat was in Rawalpindi while his wife had gone to collect clothes. When they returned home, Noor was missing. They called her, but her phone was off. She later called her parents and informed them that she was going to Lahore with her friends. On the same evening, Shaukat received a call from Zahir. Zahir said that Noor was not with him. Kohsar police called Shaukat around 10 pm to inform them that Noor had been murdered. He rushed to Zahir’s house, where police revealed his daughter had been brutally killed and beheaded with a sharp weapon.