Noor Mukadam murder case: Islamabad court rejects bail pleas of Zahir Jaffer's parents

• Islamabad High Court rejects bail of Zahir Jaffer's parents in Noor Mukadam murder case.
• IHC's Justice Aamer Farooq delivers brief verdict. 
• Zakir Jaffer and Ismat Adamjee had filed bail petitions in Noor Mukadam murder case stating that they had nothing to do with Noor's murder.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) rejected on Wednesday the bail pleas of Zakir Jaffer and Ismat Adamjee, the parents of main suspect Zahir Jaffer, in the Noor Mukadam murder case.

The IHC also ordered the trial court to complete the trial within eight weeks.

IHC's Justice Aamer Farooq initially delivered a brief verdict. A detailed verdict was released later.

Zakir and Ismat had filed bail petitions in the Noor Mukadam murder case stating that they had nothing to do with Noor's murder, while the police challan presented in court said that if If Zahir's parents had informed the police in time, Noor could have been saved.

Noor Mukadam, a 27-year-old woman, was raped and murdered with a sharp instrument on July 20 within the limits of the ​Kohsar police station in Islamabad. A case of murder was later registered at the same police station by Noor's father, former Pakistani ambassador Shaukat Ali Mukadam.

Zahir Jaffer is the prime suspect in Noor Mukadam's murder case. The grisly murder, in which Mukadam was beheaded, took place on July 20 in Islamabad's F-7 area.

The Islamabad police arrested suspect Zahir 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.

The gruesome incident sparked a nationwide campaign seeking justice for her, with #JusticeforNoor becoming a top trend on Twitter.

What does the Islamabad High Court's detailed verdict say?

In a detailed verdict released Wednesday afternoon, the IHC ruled that Zahir Jaffer's parents committed the crime of aiding and abetting Noor's murder.

The court said that Zahir's parents knew their son had taken Noor hostage and despite having this information, they did not share it with the police. The watchman had clearly stated that he had informed Zakir Jaffer, the court added.

The detailed judgment also refers to the decisions of the Supreme Court (SC).

The SC has said that aiding and abetting murder is as serious a crime as murder, the IHC said, adding that aiding and abetting a crime can also be direct, for which there is sufficient factual evidence.

According to the Black's Law Dictionary, not doing one's duty is also aiding and abetting, the IHC verdict said.

Zahir Jaffer, the court said, had said in his confessional statement that he had informed his father about Noor. Whether Zahir's statement is acceptable or not is to be decided by the trial court, the IHC said.