The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday resumed hearings in the high-profile Noor Mukadam murder case, with the defence presenting its final arguments. The court indicated that a decision would be announced later in the day after hearing both sides.
Salman Safdar, the lawyer representing the convicted accused, Zahir Jaffer, submitted a detailed medical history dating back to 2013. He pointed out that while the trial court had handed Zahir the death penalty for murder, life imprisonment for rape, and a 10-year sentence for abduction, the Islamabad High Court later converted the rape sentence to death as well.
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Safdar argued that the original FIR included only murder, with rape and abduction charges added over three weeks later. He claimed the incident took place in Zahir’s private residence, yet no direct evidence was presented from the scene.
He questioned the timeline, stating the murder happened around 10pm, the FIR was filed at 11:30pm, and the post-mortem occurred at 9:30am, confirming Noor’s death at 12:10am. He also criticised the police for turning a wounded man, Amjad, into an accused, and said the case depended largely on CCTV footage.
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The defence claimed the murder weapon lacked Zahir’s fingerprints, and all witnesses were government officials except the complainant, Noor’s father.
Justice Hashim Kakar noted that courts must carefully evaluate appeals and remarked that long waits on death row were unacceptable. He also said the court would proceed with the case later in the day, depending on the availability of the second bench.
