Verdict pending as Pakistan’s top court adjourns hearing in Noor Mukadam case until Tuesday

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday adjourned the hearing in the high-profile Noor Mukadam murder case until Tuesday, as defense counsel Salman Safdar presented arguments questioning the legal and medical basis of the conviction of Zahir Jaffer, who was sentenced to death for Noor’s brutal murder four years ago.

The case involves the 2021 murder of a 27-year-old woman by Jaffer in Islamabad, who held her captive, tortured, raped, and beheaded her after she refused his marriage proposal. Jaffer was sentenced to death in 2022, and the case sparked national outrage over violence against women in Pakistan.

A three-member bench headed by Justice Hashim Kakar, and comprising Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, is hearing the case.

The hearing

During the proceedings today, Jaffer’s counsel, senior lawyer Salman Safdar, presented his client’s complete medical history dating back to 2013. He argued that the original First Information Report (FIR) only mentioned murder, with rape and abduction charges added 22 days later -- undermining, in his view, the case’s credibility.

Safdar claimed that Jaffer was “never medically fit at any stage of the trial,” and lamented that “no medical board was ever constituted to assess his mental health.”

Safdar also noted discrepancies in the timeline. "The incident allegedly took place at 10 p.m. The FIR was registered at 11:30 p.m., and the post-mortem, conducted at 9:30 a.m. the next morning, stated Noor died at 12:10 a.m.," he said.

He claimed the prosecution failed to produce direct evidence, relying instead on circumstantial clues and CCTV footage.

The defense challenged the validity of the murder weapon, a small knife, saying Zahir’s fingerprints were not found on it.

The court inquired whether a board had been formed to determine the accused’s psychological condition, to which Safdar responded, “That’s exactly the unfortunate part—no such board was formed.”

Challenging the prosecution's case, Safdar argued that it was entirely dependent on CCTV footage and a digital video recorder, without any direct evidence or eyewitness testimony. He further said that at the time charges were framed, Jaffer had denied all three accusations: abduction, rape, and murder.

Safdar also raised questions about the post-mortem report, saying it failed to mention the size of the injuries on the victim’s body. “I’ve never seen a post-mortem that omits such critical details,” he added.

Justice Kakar asked the defense if it was attempting to dispute the unnatural nature of Noor’s death. “A young girl was brutally murdered,” Justice Kakar remarked firmly.

Justice Najafi commented on broader flaws in the judicial process, saying, “This is how our system works.”

Justice Ibrahim added, “It’s the trial judges as the parties are aware of all the facts.”

Referring to the scene of the crime, Justice Kakar observed that Noor was murdered in the presence of six to seven people.

The court also heard from the lawyer representing Noor’s father, who said that the owner and employees of Therapy Works, the mental health clinic linked to Jaffer, were made co-accused for allegedly concealing key facts.

During the proceedings, Justice Kakar told the defense counsel, “If relief is warranted, we’ll grant it -- otherwise, we’ll deliver a verdict.”

Although the judges initially indicated they would conclude the case on Monday after a scheduled break at 1 p.m., the hearing was ultimately postponed until Tuesday.