ISLAMABAD, May 19 (Alliance News): The Supreme Court resumed the hearing of convict Zahir Jaffer’s appeal against his death sentence in the high-profile Noor Mukadam murder case on Monday.
Justice Hashim Kakar, heading the three-member bench, remarked that the “girl was brutally murdered,” underscoring the gravity of the case.
Justice Kakar emphasized the judiciary’s responsibility, stating, “Judges must be willing to bear some pain. It shouldn’t be that we admit an appeal for a preliminary hearing and then don’t hear it.
People remain on death row for 10 years — this will not happen anymore.” Justice Ali Baqar Najafi added that all parties are fully aware of the facts of the case, while Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim described judicial decisions as the “trial of the judges who conduct the proceedings.”
During the hearing, defence lawyer Salman Safdar presented Zahir Jaffer’s complete medical history since 2013 and challenged aspects of the prosecution’s case.
Safdar noted that Jaffer was sentenced to death for murder, life imprisonment for rape, and 10 years for kidnapping, with the Islamabad High Court later upgrading the rape sentence to death.
Safdar pointed out discrepancies, including that the original FIR only mentioned murder, with rape and kidnapping sections added 22 days later.
He argued that no evidence from the crime scene at Jaffer’s residence was presented and highlighted issues with witness nominations, including one injured individual named as a suspect rather than a witness.
The defence also questioned reliance on CCTV footage and photogrammetric tests.
Safdar referred to previous legal precedents on evidence authentication, including rulings by Judge Arshad Malik and former Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, which the bench acknowledged.
Justice Kakar questioned the lack of eyewitness testimony, stating, “According to you, there is no eyewitness. All evidence is circumstantial.”
He further noted that the murder occurred in the presence of six to seven people. The complainant’s lawyer accused employees of the Therapy Clinic of concealing facts and named them as suspects.
The court adjourned the hearing until Tuesday morning.
