Pakistan court delays death penalty review in Noor Mukadam case

Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Friday adjourned for three weeks a hearing on the review petition of Zahir Jaffer, who faces the death penalty for the 2021 murder of Noor Mukadam, a case that sparked nationwide outrage and renewed debate over women’s safety.

A three-member bench heard arguments from Jaffer’s new counsel, Khawaja Haris, who replaced Salman Safdar at the review stage.

Justice Hashim Kakar, heading the bench, questioned the change of counsel, asking whether recent legal amendments allowing substitutions during review proceedings were made to benefit a specific individual or as a matter of principle.

Justice Kakar, who authored the main judgment in the case, noted that Justice Ali Baqar Najafi’s additional note was still pending.

“You may even find some advantage in the additional note,” Kakar remarked before adjourning the hearing until the note is issued.

The case centers on the July 2021 killing of Mukadam, the daughter of a former diplomat, who was held captive and brutally murdered in Islamabad.

Jaffer, the prime accused, was sentenced to death in February 2022, a conviction later upheld by the Supreme Court.

Mukadam’s killing became one of Pakistan’s most high-profile femicide cases, drawing international attention and prompting widespread protests over gender-based violence.

Rights groups have called the proceedings a test of Pakistan’s criminal justice system and its ability to deliver justice in cases of violence against women.