Noor Mukadam case: SC upholds death sentence of Zahir Jaffer

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has dismissed the review petition filed by convicted murderer Zahir Jaffer and upheld his death sentence in the high-profile Noor Mukadam murder case.

A three-member bench, headed by Justice Hashim Kakar and comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, announced the verdict after completing hearings on the review petition.

During the proceedings, the defence counsel acknowledged the severity of the crime and expressed regret on behalf of the convict before the victim’s family.

The defence argued that the main issue in the review petition was related to Zahir Jaffer’s mental condition at the time of the incident and during the trial.

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The lawyer maintained that the accused was not mentally stable, although he did not deny that the murder had been committed. After hearing arguments from both sides, the Supreme Court rejected the review petition and maintained the death sentence already awarded by the lower courts.

Background

Noor Mukadam, daughter of former diplomat Shaukat Mukadam, was murdered in Islamabad in July 2021. The case shocked the entire country and led to the conviction of Zahir Jaffer by the trial court, a verdict later upheld by higher courts.

With the dismissal of the review petition, one of the final legal options available to the convict has now been exhausted.