The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence of Zahir Jaffer in the Noor Mukadam murder case, rejecting his appeal after reviewing arguments from both the defense and prosecution.
Justice Hashim Kakar commented on the nature of Noor and Zahir’s relationship, describing it as a “live-in relationship,” something he noted is common in European cultures but foreign and unacceptable in Pakistan.
“A boy and girl living together is a misfortune for our society,” he stated, adding that such arrangements go against religious and moral principles.
The case, which deeply shook the nation, reached its final stage as Zahir Jaffer’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, argued that the prosecution relied heavily on CCTV footage and DVR data.
He stressed that any evidence against his client must be beyond a reasonable doubt and that the video footage had issues during playback in the Islamabad High Court.
Justice Kakar, however, reminded the court that the defense had already accepted the footage as genuine.
He highlighted that a forensic report from the Punjab Forensic Science Laboratory confirmed the footage was neither edited nor tampered with.
“If a human had recorded the footage, there could have been an argument that only selective parts were shown. But in this case, the video was recorded via CCTV, there was no human interference,” he said.
Lawyers representing two co-accused, the watchman and gardener, also presented their arguments, saying the men were sentenced to ten years in prison merely for not letting Noor leave the premises.
Justice Ali Baqar Najafi remarked that things might have turned out differently if they had allowed her to go. The defense maintained that their clients’ only involvement was being present at the house.
Justice Kakar questioned why the staff took actions beyond their assigned duties. After their arguments ended, Noor Mukadam’s lawyer, Shah Khawar, took the floor.
Justice Kakar noted that many facts of the case were not in dispute and didn’t require further debate.
“It is an admitted fact that the convict and the victim lived together,” he reiterated, underlining that this kind of relationship conflicts with the country’s cultural and moral norms.
He also questioned whether Noor’s arriving at Zahir’s home on her own impacted the validity of the kidnapping charge.
‘Even without CCTV footage, the recovery of Noor Mukadam’s body from the convict’s house is enough,” he stated.
Justice Najafi asked if Noor’s mobile phone was recovered, to which Shah Khawar responded that although the call records were available, the device itself was never found.