Noor Mukadam | Pakistan

“It’s brought me some closure,” said Shafaq Zaidi, a school friend of Noor Mukadam, reacting to the Supreme Court’s May 20 verdict upholding both the life sentence and death penalty for Noor’s killer, Zahir Jaffer. “Nothing can bring Noor back, but this decision offers a sense of justice — not just for her, but for every woman in Pakistan who’s been told her life doesn’t matter,” Zaidi told Inter Press Service (IPS) over the phone from Islamabad. “It’s been a long and painful journey — four years of fighting through the sessions court, high court, and finally, the Supreme Court.” Echoing a similar sentiment, rights activist Zohra Yusuf said, “It’s satisfying that the SC upheld the verdict,” but added that the crime’s brutality left little room for relief. “It was so horrific that one can’t even celebrate the judgment,” she said, referring to the “extreme” sadism Noor endured — tortured with a knuckleduster, raped, and beheaded with a sharp weapon on July 20, 2021. Yusuf also pointed out that the “background” ...

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan Tuesday upheld the death sentence of Zahir Jaffer for the murder of Noor Mukadam.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence of Zahir Jaffer for the gruesome murder of Noor Mukadam nearly four years ago that had shaken the nation. After the ruling by the top court, a presidential pardon under Article 45 of the Constitution could possibly provide Zahir pardon, or reprieve, or remit, suspend or commute his sentence. Noor, aged 27 years, was found murdered at Zahir’s Islamabad residence in July 2021, with the probe revealing she was tortured before being beheaded. Zahir’s death sentence by the trial court had already been upheld by the Islamabad High Court (IHC). View this post on Instagram A three-member bench, led by Justice Hashim Kakar and including Justices Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Ali Baqar Najafi, presided today over the third hearing of Zahir’s appeal against his death sentence. The bench upheld Zahir’s death sentence handed by two courts previously over the murder charges under Section 302(b) (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). However, it converted the IHC...

The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence of Zahir Jaffer for the brutal murder of Noor Mukadam, while altering some of the other charges in its final verdict on the widely followed case.

Justice Hashim Kakar observed on Monday that Noor Mukadam was “mercilessly murdered” as the Supreme Court took up accused Zahir Jaffer’s appeal against his death sentence. Noor, aged 27 years, was found murdered at Zahir’s Islamabad residence in July 2021, with the probe revealing she was tortured before being beheaded. Zahir’s death sentence by the trial court was upheld by the Islamabad High Court (IHC), which had also turned his jail term over rape charges into a second death penalty. Justice Kakar was leading a three-member bench, which included Justices Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Ali Baqar Najafi. Barrister Salman Safdar appeared as Zahir’s counsel while Advocate Shah Khawar was present on behalf of Noor’s father, retired diplomat Shaukat Mukadam. The accused’s lawyer contended that no medical board was formed to assess his client’s mental state. The hearing was adjourned till tomorrow, with both sides’ counsels expected to present their arguments. During the previous hearing, Safdar had sought more time from t...

The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned the hearing of Zahir Jaffer’s appeal against his death sentence in the Noor Mukadam murder case to May 19, following mutual agreement between the legal teams.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan is set to hear the appeal against Zahir Jaffer’s death sentence in the Noor Mukadam murder case on May 13, according to its latest cause list, it emerged on Sunday. Noor, 27, was found murdered at a residence in Islamabad’s upscale Sector F-7/4 on July 20, 2021. A first information report (FIR) was registered later the same day against Zahir Jaffer, who was arrested from the site of the murder. In February 2022, a district and sessions judge convicted Jaffer of murdering Mukadam, handing him the death penalty along with 25 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs200,000. His household staff, Iftikhar and Jameel — co-accused in the case — were each sentenced to 10 years in prison, while all other suspects, including Jaffer’s parents and TherapyWorks employees, were acquitted. According to the cause list available on the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s website, “the hearing on the appeal against Jaffer’s death sentence will be held on May 13.” Justice Hashim Kakar will head a th...