Court rejects Zahir Jaffer's petitions in Noor Mukadam murder case

ISLAMABAD: A local court in Islamabad on Monday rejected three petitions filed by Zahir Jaffer, the prime suspect in the Noor Mukadam murder case, ARY News reported.

Additional sessions court under Judge Ata Rabbani announced the reserved verdict after hearing arguments of both parties.

Presiding over the hearing, the court announced the reserved verdict wherein a plea against IG Islamabad Ahsan Younas, investigating officer request to visit the crime scene and another plea to know the owner of a mobile number were rejected.

Earlier, the trial court had sought more time to wrap up the Noor Mukadam murder case.

On January 25, Inspector General of Police (IG) Islamabad Ahsan Younas received a briefing on progress in Noor Mukadam murder case involving prime suspect Zahir Jaffar, a day after the investigation officer’s remarks gave an impression of giving him a clean chit.

According to sources privy to a briefing to the IG Islamabad on the matter, it was informed that the forensic report was issued by the Punjab Forensic Science Agency and would be submitted to the court in the next hearing.

“The forensic report confirmed Noor Mukadam’s rape before the murder,” they said and added that the report also highlighted that she tried to rescue herself after Jaffer’s DNA sample was found from her nails.

The sources citing the contents of the forensic report said that the shirt worn by the suspect at the time of the murder was also recovered with bloodstains that matched the victim’s DNA samples.

The murder

It is pertinent to mention here that the grisly murder, in which Noor Mukadam was beheaded, took place on July 20 in Islamabad’s F-7 area. Noor is the daughter of Shaukat Mukadam, who served as Pakistan’s ambassador to South Korea and Kazakhstan.

The Islamabad police arrested suspect Zahir Zakir Jaffer on the night of July 20 from his house where, according to Noor’s parents, he killed her with a sharp instrument and severed her head.