Explainer: What we know so far in Noor Mukadam case

The body of Noor Mukadam, the 27-year-old daughter of former diplomat Shaukat Ali Mukadam, was found lifeless at an Islamabad residence on June 20, 2021. She was brutally murdered by Zahir Jaffer, the son of an industrialist, who was identified as the prime suspect in the case and was subsequently taken into custody at the crime scene with the victim's family registering a first information report (FIR) on the same day and seeking justice for their daughter's grizzly killing.

The high-profile murder sent shock waves across the country, with advocates of women's rights and human rights leading vigils and rallies against the brutal murder and a chilling case of gender-based violence in Pakistan.

The National Commission of Human Rights, in its Second Periodic Report on Compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights submitted to the United Nations, reported receiving around 3,500 complaints related to GBV, women’s rights, and marital disputes.

In an interview to AFP, Shafaq Zaidi, Noor's childhood friend, termed today's development as "a victory for all the women of Pakistan".

"It shows that our justice system can deliver justice and should give women more confidence in the legal process," said Zaidi, adding, "This was our last resort, and it's hard to put into words what this outcome means to us."

What happened in SC today?

Today, nearly four years after Noor's death and her family's patience in the midst of legal battles, the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of her killer, Jaffer, and partially modified other charges in their verdict.

The apex court's three-member bench — led by Justice Hashim Kakar and comprising Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Ali Baqar Najafi — issued a judgment in the high-profile case, dismissing Jaffer's appeal against his conviction under Section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code, maintaining both his death sentence and fine.

In the case registered under Section 376, directed at charges of rape, the court converted his death sentence to that of life imprisonment. Meanwhile, his conviction for kidnapping was overturned, with the sentence under that charge declared void.

What happened after Noor's murder?

After Noor's father filed an FIR against Jaffer under Section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), the accused was arrested with a murder weapon and bloodstained clothes from the crime scene on the day of the killing.

According to the former ambassador, the industrialist's son killed his daughter with a sharp instrument and severed her head. Noor had made repeated attempts to escape the night she was killed, but was blocked by Jaffer's household staff — Jan Muhammad and Muhammad Iftikhar — the gardener and security guard at Jaffer's house.

As the police probed further, Jaffer's parents — Zakir Jaffer and Ismat Adamjee — were also found involved in concealing the evidence and assisting him in the crime, and were subsequently arrested on July 25, 2021. The couple was later granted bail on separate occasions as they approached higher courts seeking release on bail.

Following the arrest of Jaffer, who was allegedly associated with Therapy Works — a leading therapy and drug rehabilitation centre in Islamabad — six of its employees of were also taken into custody. The rehabilitation centre faced severe scrutiny following Noor's killing.

Jaffer, the convict, was sent on judicial and physical remands several times for interrogations before a trial related to the case began and continued for four months and eight days. Following the trial, a lower court reached a decision in the high-profile case after multiple twists and deferrals on February 24, 2023.

Who else was involved with Jaffer?

At least two more men comprising Jaffer's household staff — his watchman and gardener, Jan Muhammad and Muhammad Iftikhar, respectively — were labelled co-accused and awarded jail sentences in the case.

In its verdict today, SC ruled that the punishments already served by both would suffice. Both of Jaffer's staffers were awarded 10 years of imprisonment each.

Trial court sentence for Jaffer

In February 2022, a district and sessions court sentenced Jaffer to death, alongside a 25-year prison term with hard labour and a fine of Rs200,000, concluding the trial that continued for over four months.

Besides the prime accused, two members of his domestic staff, Iftikhar and Jameel, were each handed 10-year prison sentences, while other co-accused — including Jaffer’s parents and several TherapyWorks employees — were acquitted.

The convict also received a 25-year imprisonment sentence with hard labour and a fine of Rs0.2 million. Jaffer was also awarded a 10-year imprisonment sentence for the abduction and an additional one-year for keeping the victim in illegal confinement.

Before reserving its judgement in the case, the court remarked the lawyers of the parties were allowed to submit their additional arguments on the pleas within seven days.

The verdict was reserved after hearing the arguments from parties in separate pleas against the death sentence handed out to Jaffer, and the acquittal of convicts and accused — filed by Noor’s father.

IHC upheld death sentence for Jaffer

In March 2023, the Islamabad High Court upheld Jaffer’s death sentence and upgraded his 25-year sentence to an additional death penalty, on the appeals filed against the punishment awarded to the convicts.

A two-member bench of the divisional bench, comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, issued the verdict which was reserved December 21, 2022, on appeals filed against the punishment awarded to the convicts and acquittal of co-accused for Noor's murder. During the December hearing, Jaffer was sentenced to death after a long-drawn-out trial of over four months.

The court’s decision for the double death sentence came following Jaffer’s crime for Noor’s rape and murder. He earlier received a 25-year imprisonment sentence with hard labour and a fine of Rs200,000 after the rape was proven.

An appeal challenging the IHC verdict was subsequently filed in the SC in April 2024.