Islamabad:
The Supreme Court postponed the audition of the appeal of Zahir Jaffer against his death sentence in the case of murder of Noor Mukadam until May 19 at the request of Jaffer’s lawyer.
A regular SC bank of three members headed by Judge Hashim Kakar and including Judges Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Ali Baqar Najafi on Tuesday occupied the case of high profile murder that shocked the nation in June 2021.
Defense lawyer Salman Safdar and the prosecution lawyer Shah Khawar were present during the procedures. Safdar requested additional time to present more documents, arguing that these documents could significantly affect the case result.
He argued that Jaffer suffers from mental illness, a defense, which, according to him, had been overlooked both by the trial and by the superior courts.
“Any medical board has never been constituted to evaluate the mental health of the accused,” Safdar told The Bench, adding that the previous trials of the Supreme Court on the matter had also been ignored.
Judge Kakar questioned the justification for a postponement, noting that both legal teams attended. “In our court, one case is only delayed if the judge or lawyer dies,” he said, criticizing the frequency of avoidable delays.
Judge Najafi asked if the issue of mental illness had been raised during the previous procedures. When Safdar confirmed that adequate consideration had not been given, Judge Kakar observed that the point could still be argued without requiring a new application.
Prosecutor Shah Khawar opposed the postponement, but Judge Najafi advised him to respond only after the defense formally submitted his request. The court ordered both parties to return completely prepared for the next hearing scheduled for May 19.
Noor Mukadam, 27, was found murdered with his head separated from his body in Jaffer’s residence in the exclusive sector F-7/4 of Islamabad on July 20, 2021. A first information report (FIR) was later recorded the same day against Zahir Jaffer, who was arrested at the murder site.
In February 2022, a district judge and sessions condemned Jaffer for killing Mukadam, convicing him to death along with 25 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of RS200,000.
The Superior Court of Islamabad (IHC) on March 14, 2023 confirmed Jaffer’s death sentence and also turned its 25 -year -old prison term into another death penalty in a rape case.
