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LHC judge Ali Baqar Najafi. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) has strongly condemned the “misogynistic and irresponsible remarks” made by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi regarding the Noor Mukadam murder case.
The commission said the comments reflect a “harmful mindset that shifts responsibility away from the perpetrators and onto the women themselves”.
Justice Najafi, a member of the three-judge Supreme Court that upheld the death penalty for Noor’s killer, attributed the gruesome killing to “a societal vice”.
In his supplementary memorandum, the judge upheld the sentence handed down to Zahir, noting that “the present case is a direct result of a vice spreading in upper society that we know as ‘live-in relationships’ [sic]'”.
In a statement issued on Friday, the NCSW said it “strongly condemns” Judge Najafi’s remarks.
“Such statements constitute clear victim-blaming and reflect a harmful mindset that shifts responsibility away from the perpetrators and onto the women themselves,” the commission said. “No woman’s choices, real or perceived, can ever justify or explain brutality, murder or any form of gender-based violence.”
The commission noted that Judge Najafi’s comments also contradicted an earlier judgment by Judge Ayesha Malik, who stressed that the language used for victims must be “sensitive, respectful and free from the personal biases of judges”.
According to NCSW, Judge Malik’s ruling urged the judiciary to avoid moralizing and stereotyping narratives that shame or blame women.
“The comments in this case disregard legal responsibility and risk undermining public trust,” the statement stressed. “NCSW calls on all members of the judiciary to uphold constitutional values, maintain impartiality and ensure that the courts remain spaces where survivors and victims are treated with dignity and respect,” it added.
