The Supreme Court in Pakistan has rejected Zahir Jaffer’s appeal against the death sentence, which was awarded him in the Noor Mukadam murder case.

A bench with three members led by Justice Hashim Kakar and consisting of Justices Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Ali Baqar Najafi, maintained the verdict after hearing the final arguments on Tuesday.

Earlier, Islamabad High Court (IHC) had also maintained Jaffer’s death sentence issued by the trial and converted his prison period for rape taxes to a further death penalty.

Twenty-seven-year-old Noor Mukadam, daughter of former Pakistani Diplomat Shaukat Mukadam, was murdered and decapitated in a Posh neighborhood in Islamabad in July 2021.

Defense Attorney Salman Safdar claimed that the prosecutor’s entire case depended on CCTV recordings and DVR recordings, and emphasized that the evidence must be over reasonable doubts to support a conviction. He questioned the custody chain and insisted that the recordings could not be accepted without thorough verification.

At the beginning of the hearing, Zahir’s lawyer claimed that any evidence against his client “must be undoubtedly” and argued that the court could not “go beyond recordings presented in court”.

He said the prosecution presented the recordings on a USB at IHC, but it could not be played.

At this point, a lawyer for the co-accused-Mohammad IFTIKHAR (Watchman) and Jan Mohammad (Gardener) whose 10-year-old judgments were also maintained by IHC-Hans’s arguments briefly.

The lawyer detailed the sentences and remembered that Watchman and Gardener were accused of “preventing the victim from fleeing”.

Justice Najafi observed, “If the suspects hadn’t stopped the victim, the situation would have been different.”

The lawyer claimed that the two co-accused had “other crime than being present in the house” at the time of the killing.

“What was the need to work more than [what] The salary [is paid for]? “Justice Kakar noticed.

In response, Justice Kakar noted that the defense had already accepted the authenticity of the recording earlier and emphasized that forensic reports confirmed that the videos had not been manipulated. He also said the recordings were captured by an automated system without human intervention, which made doubts about selective editing irrelevant.

Read: Noor Mukadam’s killer claims insanity

The bench also related to defense claims that the original charges did not include rape or kidnapping, which was later added.

Safdar claimed that the murder weapon lacked Jaffer’s fingerprints and raised concerns about the absence of evaluation of mental health.

The court then heard from lawyers representing the co-accused-Jaffer’s household staff, including his guardian and gardener, who was convicted and handed down a 10-year sentence.

Their defense advisers maintained their clients were only present on the spot and did not actively participate in the murder.

On which noticed justice Najafi, not to prevent the victim from leaving, may have affected the result, while Justice Kakar questioned why the staff exceeded their employment roles.

As arguments ended, lawyer Shah Khawar, who represented the Mukadam family, began his counter -movement. The judges noted that many facts were undisputed, including the victim’s presence in the accused’s house and their relationship.

Read more: Noor Mukadam Murder Case: A Timeline

Noor Mukadam’s advice, Shah Khawar, began his arguments.

During the case, Justice Hashim Kakar noted that several facts in the case are undisputed, saying, “There is no reason to argue for agreed facts.”

He noted that it is a firm fact that the conviction and the victim lived together and described their relationship as “the kind seen in Europe, not here.”

Justice Kakar further commented that such conditions are “unfortunate to our society” and “as opposed to religion and morality.”

He also questioned whether Noor’s volunteer arrival at the House of Penalty would reduce the abduction of abduction, adding that even without CCTV recordings, “is the restoration of the body from the criminal house sufficient.”

Justice Baqir Najafi asked if Noor Mukadam’s mobile phone had been recovered. Shah Khawar replied that although call registers are available, the phone itself was not taken into custody.

During the previous consultation last week, the point of view had postponed the procedure following a mutual agreement between both parties after the defense requested more time to submit additional documents, arguing that they were decisive, and emphasized that Jaffer’s mental illness had not been properly considered in the lower courts.

Justice Kakar had criticized frequent delays in the case, while justice Najafi noted that the argument of mental health could still be made without a new application.

Despite the prosecution, the Court agreed to postpone and instructed both sides to return fully prepared on May 19.

In February 2022, a judge and sessions had judge sentenced Jaffer for murder and sentenced him to death along with 25 years of string prison and a fine of RS200,000.

His household staff, Iftikhar and Jameel – Co -Appeal in the case – were sentenced to 10 years in prison, while all other suspects, including Jaffer’s parents and therapy workers, were acquitted.