The Islamabad High Court on Monday upheld its verdict in the Noor Mukadam case, wherein Zahir Jaffer was sentenced to death for the brutal murder of the former diplomat Shaukat Mukadam's daughter.
On July 20, 2021, Noor was brutally killed in Islamabad's upscale F-7/4 sector. Jaffer was arrested as the prime suspect in the case.
The verdict, reserved on Dec 21, was announced by a two-member division bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Sardar Ijaz Ishaq Khan.
IHC rejected Zahir’s plea against his earlier verdict and sentenced him to death twice. He had approached the court in March 2022 after he was sentenced to death for the heinous murder.
The learned court turned the 25-year jail sentence awarded to the accused, into a death penalty, raising his punishment.
The court also dismissed the pleas of his household staff, who were named as the co-accused, against the verdict.
Read this too: Timeline | How Zahir Jaffer Pretended To Be Mentally Unwell To Escape Law
On Feb 24, 2022, a sessions court in the federal capital announced the verdict and awarded a 10-year jail term to the two co-accused.
Zahir's parents — Zakir Jaffer and Asmat Adamji — and his staff were indicted by a Islamabad district and sessions court in October 2021 but were later acquitted at the time of Jaffer's sentencing.
How the murder unfolded
The transcript of the CCTV footage showed Noor running towards the gate barefoot in a bid to exit the house. However, a watchman could be seen shutting the gate at her and Zahir later dragged her inside the house.
Noor was then seen entering accused Zahir’s house on July 18. She was talking over the phone while walking in. A watchman employed at the house, was also present on the scene as Noor came inside.
Later, at around 2.40 AM, Noor and Zahir were seen coming out of the house. They were holding some bags which they kept in a taxi and then got back in.
Another videos shows how the victim tried to run but was stopped by the watchman who shut the gate.
The transcript also reveals that Zahir came to the gate and grabbed Noor who asks him to let go of her. She was then dragged inside the house by Jaffer. Later at 2.46 AM, both could be seen leaving in a taxi that was parked outside the house.
They then enter the house again with the bags they had left in the taxi. At 7.12pm, Noor was seen jumping off the terrace on the grill of the ground floor. She then ran towards the main gate, but the watchman and the gardener shut the door. Zahir then jumped from the first floor and grabbed her, pushing her back in.
The prime accused was then seen locking the victim in a cabin inside the house. He then opened the cabin’s door and snatched her mobile phone before dragging her back to the house.
On July 20, 2021, Noor was brutally killed in Islamabad's upscale F-7/4 sector. Jaffer was arrested as the prime suspect in the case.
The verdict, reserved on Dec 21, was announced by a two-member division bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Sardar Ijaz Ishaq Khan.
IHC rejected Zahir’s plea against his earlier verdict and sentenced him to death twice. He had approached the court in March 2022 after he was sentenced to death for the heinous murder.
The learned court turned the 25-year jail sentence awarded to the accused, into a death penalty, raising his punishment.
The court also dismissed the pleas of his household staff, who were named as the co-accused, against the verdict.
Read this too: Timeline | How Zahir Jaffer Pretended To Be Mentally Unwell To Escape Law
On Feb 24, 2022, a sessions court in the federal capital announced the verdict and awarded a 10-year jail term to the two co-accused.
Zahir's parents — Zakir Jaffer and Asmat Adamji — and his staff were indicted by a Islamabad district and sessions court in October 2021 but were later acquitted at the time of Jaffer's sentencing.
How the murder unfolded
The transcript of the CCTV footage showed Noor running towards the gate barefoot in a bid to exit the house. However, a watchman could be seen shutting the gate at her and Zahir later dragged her inside the house.
Noor was then seen entering accused Zahir’s house on July 18. She was talking over the phone while walking in. A watchman employed at the house, was also present on the scene as Noor came inside.
Later, at around 2.40 AM, Noor and Zahir were seen coming out of the house. They were holding some bags which they kept in a taxi and then got back in.
Another videos shows how the victim tried to run but was stopped by the watchman who shut the gate.
The transcript also reveals that Zahir came to the gate and grabbed Noor who asks him to let go of her. She was then dragged inside the house by Jaffer. Later at 2.46 AM, both could be seen leaving in a taxi that was parked outside the house.
They then enter the house again with the bags they had left in the taxi. At 7.12pm, Noor was seen jumping off the terrace on the grill of the ground floor. She then ran towards the main gate, but the watchman and the gardener shut the door. Zahir then jumped from the first floor and grabbed her, pushing her back in.
The prime accused was then seen locking the victim in a cabin inside the house. He then opened the cabin’s door and snatched her mobile phone before dragging her back to the house.