IHC dismisses Zahir Jaffer’s appeal in Noor Mukaddam murder case

Islamabad: Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday dismissed the appeal of Zahir Jaffar and upheld the sentence awarded him earlier by the sessions court in Noor Mukaddam  murder case.

A IHC division bench headed by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan announced the verdict reserved earlier on the appeal moved by Zahir Jafar against conviction in Noor Mukadam murder case.

The court ruled that the convict be hanged to death twice.

A trial court had earlier granted him 25-year jail term with hard labour and a fine of Rs0.2 million after the rape was proven.

The IHC reserved a verdict last year on December 21 in the high-profile murder case in which Jaffer was sentenced to death.

The trial court had awarded death sentence to Jaffer last February while two other suspects including Jan Muhammad and Muhammad Iftikhar—the gardener and security guard at Jaffer’s house—were sentenced to ten years in jail each.

Other suspects in the case including Jaffer's parents Zakir Jaffer and Ismat Adamjee along with all employees of Therapy Works were set free by the court in this case.

Noor Mukadam, 27, the daughter of former Pakistan Ambassador Shaukat Ali Mukadam, was found dead at the residence of Zahir Jaffer in Sector F-7/4 on July 20, 2021.

She was killed with a sharp instrument and severed her head. The shocking news of Noor’s murder went viral on social media.

The police registered FIR on the complaint of Noor's father — former Pakistani ambassador Shaukat Ali Mukadam —  and arrested Zahir with a murder weapon and bloodstained clothes from the crime scene on the day of the killing.