Islamabad:
The Supreme Court postponed to hear Zahir Jaffer’s appeal against his death sentence in the Noor Mukadam killing case until May 19, at the request of Jaffer’s lawyer.
A regular bench with three members led by Justice Hashim Kakar and consisting of Justices Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Ali Baqar Najafi Tuesday took the high -profile murder case that shocked the nation in June 2021.
Defense Attorney Salman Safdar and Prosecutor Shah Khawar were present during the case. Safdar requested additional time to submit additional documents and argued that these documents could significantly affect the outcome of the case.
He maintained that Jaffer is suffering from mental illness, a defense that he said was overlooked by both the trial and high courts.
“No medical board has ever been composed of evaluating the accused’s mental health,” Safdar told the bench, adding that previous Supreme Court judgments about the case had also been ignored.
Justice Kakar questioned the rationale for a postponement and noted that both legal teams were present. “In our court, a case is only delayed if the judge or a lawyer dies,” he noted, criticizing the frequency of avoidable delays.
Justice Najafi asked if the issue of mental illness had been raised during previous procedures. When Safdar confirmed that it had not been sufficiently considered, Justice Kakar observed that the point could still be argued without requiring a new application.
Prosecutor Shah Khawar opposed the postponement, but justice Najafi advised him to respond first after the defense formally submitted his application. The court ordered both parties to return fully prepared for the next consultation scheduled for May 19.
Noor Mukadam, 27, was found murdered with her head detached from her body in Jaffer’s residence in Islamabad’s distinguished sector F-7/4 on July 20, 2021. A first information report (FIR) was recorded later that day against Zahir Jaffer, who was arrested on the scene of the murder.
In February 2022, a judge and sessions sentenced Judge Jaffer for murdering Mukadam, convicting him with 25 years of string prison and a fine of RS200,000.
Islamabad High Court (IHC) On March 14, 2023, the death sentence for Jaffer and also converted his 25-year prison period to another death penalty in a rape case.
