ISLAMABAD – The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence of convict Zahir Jaffer in the Noor Mukadam murder case.
A three-member bench headed by Justice Hashim Kakar and comprises Justices Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Ali Baqar Najafi issued the ruling on the appeals filed by Jaffer against a ruling of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
The apex court, however, has converted his death sentence for rape to life imprisonment, besides commuting his ten-year imprisonment in abduction case to one-year term.
The top court also upheld the order for compensation payment to Noor Muqaddam’s family.
In February 2022, a sessions court had sentenced Zahir Jaffer to death for killing Noor Mukadam. Four accused including Zahir were presented before the court where the session judge announced the verdict amid tight security outside the court. The verdict was read out in the presence of Noor’s father.
The court also awarded 10 years imprisonment to two of his employees named Jamil and Jan Mohammad while another accused, Tahir Zahoor, was acquitted.
Zahir was apprehended from the crime scene while his parents and staff were arrested in July last year over allegations of hiding evidence and due to their involvement in the crime.
The prime accused earlier confessed to killing Noor while his DNA test and fingerprints also showed his involvement in the brutal killing.
Noor Mukadam was beheaded on July 20, 2021, in Islamabad’s F-7 area. The deceased was the daughter of Shaukat Mukadam, who served as Pakistan’s ambassador to South Korea and Kazakhstan.
