Supreme Court on Thursday dismissing appeals by the main convict in the Noor Mukadam murder case, Zahir Jaffer, has upheld the death sentence.
During the hearing of a review petition against the death sentence of the main convict in the Noor Mukadam murder case, Zahir Jaffer, his counsel Khawaja Haris admitted before the Supreme Court that the victim was subjected to brutality and that his client was present at the crime scene.
A bench comprising Justice Ishaq Ibrahim, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and other judges heard the case on Thursday.
During the proceedings, Khawaja Haris also offered an apology to the family of Noor Mukadam. He stated that his arguments focus on the mental condition of the accused at the time of the incident.
The defence counsel clarified that they are not arguing that the accused did not commit the murder, but that he was not mentally stable during the incident and trial period.
He further informed the court that Zahir Jaffer had been under treatment for bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and depression, and had also received medication in jail.
Justice Ishaq Ibrahim asked the counsel to produce records showing when the treatment started and whether it was ongoing at the time of the incident.
Justice Salahuddin Panhwar observed that it must be established when the accused developed the illness, which doctor treated him, and what his complete medical history is. He also suggested that academic records from school and university could help determine his mental condition.
During the hearing, Khawaja Haris presented a letter from a Harley Street clinic in London. However, Justice Panhwar noted that the letter was dated 2022 and questioned whether the accused had obtained it after travelling to London following the incident.
Noor, the daughter of a former diplomat, was discovered dead in Islamabad in July 2021.
Investigations indicated that she had been subjected to torture prior to her death, leading to widespread national outrage concerning gender-based violence and the inequitable treatment under the law.
Zahir Jaffer received a death sentence from the trial court, a decision that was upheld by the Islamabad High Court, which also transformed his prison term for rape charges into an additional death sentence.
The Supreme Court affirmed his death sentence on May 20, 2025.
