A district and sessions court in Islamabad sentenced to death prime suspect Zahir Jaffer over his involvement in the high-profile murder of Noor Mukadam, a capital-based young woman, but acquitted his parents, citing lack of evidence.
Mukadam, 27, was found beheaded at the residence of Jaffer in Sector F-7/4 of Islamabad in July. Police charged Jaffer, a dual Pakistan-US national and scion of one of the country’s wealthiest families, with murder.
Investigators concluded the two were friends, and Jaffer lured Mukadam, the daughter of a former ambassador to South Korea, to his home, held her there for two days, and then brutally murdered her.
A first information report registered on the complaint of Shaukat Ali Mukadam, the victim’s father, had nominated Jaffer under Section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Two domestic staff — Jan Muhammad and Iftikhar — were sentenced to 10 years in prison each.
Jaffer’s parents — Zakir Jaffer and Asmat Adamjee — a third staff member and six employees of Therapy Works — an Islamabad-based organisation providing mental health services that employed him and Adamjee — who were accused of abetting the murder, were, however, acquitted.
Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Atta Rabbani, who presided over the proceedings, had reserved its decision on Tuesday after all the parties concluded their arguments.
The court indicted Jaffer along with 11 other suspects — his parents, the household staff, Therapy Works boss Tahir Zahoor and his staff — in October.
The trial formally commenced on October 20.
Mukadam’s murder received national attention due to a growing, youth-driven women’s rights movement in the country where victims of violence are often discouraged from speaking out and blamed for the abuse.
In the 2021 Global Gender Gap Report of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the country ranks 153 out of 156 countries, and a recent Human Rights Watch (HRW) report found that incidents of domestic violence increased by 200 percent in 2020, worsening after coronavirus lockdowns began.
