- The three -member bank listens to a high profile case.
- The defense lawyer seeks more time for presentations.
- Following audience established with the complete preparation directive.
Islamabad: The Supreme Court postponed the hearing of the appeal of Zahir Jaffer against his death sentence in the case of murder of Noor Mukadam until May 19, after a consensus of both parties.
A three -member bank, led by Judge Hashim Kakar and includes Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Judge Ali Baqar Najafi, heard the high profile case.
Defense lawyer Salman Safdar and the prosecution lawyer Shah Khawar were present in the court during the procedures.
Safdar requested a postponement, citing the need to send additional documents. Judge Kakar, however, expressed his discontent for delays, commenting: “Why should we grant a postponement if it is already present in court?”
The judge further criticized unnecessary delays in the judicial system, saying: “In our court, one case is only delayed if the judge or lawyer dies.” He questioned the consequences of canceling a sentence after someone had spent 20 years in the death corridor, asking what a convict released might think of such a scenario.
“Our fault lies in entertaining unnecessary postponements, not that of the system,” Judge Kakar said sharply. “If a convicted man appears before us after being acquitted, he can also throw the file in his face,” he added.
Despite the application of the defense lawyer, the court said that a decision would be made once the application was submitted. Judge Najafi also intervened, advising Khawar to respond formally only after the application has been submitted.
The audience was postponed until May 19, with instructions for both legal teams to be fully prepared.
The case
Noor, 27, was discovered dead in a private residence in sector F-7/4, Islamabad, on July 20, 2021. Zahir Jaffer, the main suspect, was arrested at the crime scene and the victim's father on the same day a fir stopped him.
According to the original FIR, Noor's father reported that he had been “beheaded after being killed with an sharp weapon” in a horrible act that surprised the nation.
In February 2022, a district court and sessions sentenced Jaffer to death, along with a 25 -year prison period with forced labor and a fine of RS200,000, concluding the trial that continued for more than four months.
In addition to the main defendant, two members of their domestic staff, Iphikhar and Jameel, were delivered 10 -year prison convictions, while other coacked, including Jaffer's parents and several Terapyworks employees, were acquitted.
In March 2023, the Superior Court of Islamabad confirmed the death sentence of Jaffer and improved its 25 -year sentence to an additional death penalty, in the appeals filed against the punishment granted to the convicts.
An appeal that challenges the IHC verdict subsequently appeared at the Supreme Court in April last year.
Shaukat Mukadam, a former diplomat, had previously held a press conference on the birth anniversary of Noor, urging the Apex court to accelerate the procedures in the case that has remained pending for more than 18 months.
