Noor Mukadam’s Case Is A Test For Pakistan’s Judiciary

After getting massive coverage on media Noor Mukadam Case to be a huge test for Pakistan’s judiciary to ensure justice so that such happening must be stopped in the future.

Recently on Thursday Islamabad session court gave 14 Oct as the next date for the indictment of suspects in the Noor Murder Case. 12 people are directly nominated in the case as suspects they are Zahir Zakir Jaffer (Main suspect),  Zakir Jaffer and Asmat Adamjee (Zahir Parents), and nine of his staff members  Iftikhar, Jan Muhammad, and Jameel (house staff ), Tahir Zahoor, Amjad, Dilip Kumar, Abdul Haq, Wamiq and Samar Abbas (Clinic Staff).

Ata Rabbani  Additional Sessions Judge announced the new date for the indictments in the suspects’ presence.

Case Details

According to a police investigation report 27 years old Noor the daughter of a former diplomat, Shaukat Mukadam was murdered on 21 July 2021 in Islamabad Sector  F-7/4 by the murderer, Zahir Jaffer. The murder suspect was identified as 27-year-old Zahir Jaffer who was arrested on the spot and taken to the police station. The parents and household staff of Jaffer were also arrested for alleged complicity and evidence-hiding. According to police sources, the murder was premeditated as Jaffer had allegedly disclosed his intention to kill Noor in case she refused to accept his marriage proposal. As per the investigation, Jaffer booked his ticket to New York on 19 July, and before his departure, he called Noor and asked to visit his home for a personal meeting and they spend more hours with each other. Police sources indicate that Jaffer had a fight with Noor 17 hours after they were dropped back by the taxi.

 Noor’s decapitated body showed signs of torture wounds and stab wounds. A leaked audiotape revealed that after the murder, the friends of the accused gathered around the house, while his parents, instead of calling the police, called Therapy Works, a counseling and psychotherapy center. Therapy Works staff reached the location and tied the suspect. Their team member was injured during this process. It has also been reported that at one point, Noor tried to escape by jumping through the balcony and reaching the security guard’s room but she was chased by Jaffer and the security guard handed her back to Jaffer. The police are of the view that the murder could have been averted had the security guard informed the police in time.

The suspect, Zahir Zakir Jaffer, is a dual Pakistani-American citizen and the son of a wealthy businessman, Zakir Jaffer, and Asmat Adamjee. Noor’s father, Shaukat Mukadam, is a retired diplomat who previously served as Pakistan’s ambassador to South Korea and Kazakhstan. The Mukadam family also lived for some time in Ireland.  In addition to the suspect and victim, their families were also acquaintances of each other. Following the murder, a First Information Report was registered against Jaffer under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code, and the suspect was arrested on the site.  Later, police also arrested Jaffer’s parents and house servants on suspicion of complicity in the crime and the hiding of evidence. On 15th August 2021, Police were able to match fingerprint and DNA from samples collected from the weapon used in a murder confirming Jaffer’s involvement in the murder. 

Now after the great coverage over the digital media Session court take this case as a big challenge to identify the path to stop such happing in the future. As Islamabad police submitted the uncompleted challan in the court became a hindrance in the proceeding. Finally, after a . long break case has began Under Additional Sessions, Judge Ata Rabbani.

Zahir sought the judge’s permission to speak, before saying: “I apologize”.

“You don’t need to speak right now. We will listen to you during the trial,” the judge responded.

Furthermore statement of Shaukat Ali Mukadam (Noor’s father) Became the part of court record regarding this case.

Police challan Details

As per challan police reveals that at day of murder Noor Parents were not present in home. Noor father was out because of Eid shopping and her mother was in the super market to purchase the clothes for Eid day. Once her parents came back to residence and found Noor not in home, they immediately started calling Noor but unfortunately calls was not connected because Noor cell phone was switched off. Beginning to worry, Noor’s parents contacted her friends. They were told she was going to Lahore with some of her friends and would return in the next couple of days.

After one day Noor-s-friend main murderer  Zahir Jaffer called Noor’s father and told that she was not with him. Her father received a call from Kohsar Police Station at late night same day and found that her daughter has been murder. Noor father first reached police station and than went to Zahir residence with police to identify the death body.

According to police investigation report Crime Scene Incharge Muhammad Imran collected a knife, knuckleduster, 9mm handgun magazine and a laptop from the room Noor’s body was found in.  Police has also been collected CCTV data and Zahir figure print details, which used against him in this case. According to the challan, the footage revealed the gruesome treatment Noor was subjected to before being murdered.

Zahir  Statement

According to murderer Zahir official statement he told that Noor has rejected his marriage proposal. In addition to that he revealed that Noor tried to escape twice a time but  he had forcefully detained her. He also said that he ordered his residence security guard that nobody allowed to enter the home. Zahir also talked with his parents at same night and informed him before the act of murder.

Zahir in his statement claimed that his father had assured that ‘some people’ would come and shift Noor’s dead body away from the residence. He claims that his father told him to ‘not worry’ and that he would ‘deal with the matter’.

Later on same day his clinic staff arrived his home and he also attacked on them and injured on staff member Amjed mehmood with knife. police reached the crime scene after some time and arrested him, police also cover the whole area and collected all avoidances .

Society Reaction upon Noor murder

Every one not only in Pakistan but all around the world are in shocking plights and demanding to make the case as test for others and hang the murder in public place openly so that such happening will stop in the future. The murder and its gruesome nature sparked strong condemnation and public outrage in Pakistan. There have been calls to bring the perpetrator to justice. According to The Washington Post, “the name Noor Mukadam has ricocheted through Pakistani news and social media” and renewed focus on the country’s plight in tackling cases of violence against women.  Prime Minister Imran Khan directed the Islamabad Police to “make no concessions” while probing the murder and emphasized the delivery of justice. 

Zahir’s maternal side, the Adamjee family, also issued a condemnation in which it expressed its grief and stated “We have not and will not support Zahir Jaffer in any form. We whole-heartedly and unequivocally support the law of the land taking its course. Justice for Noor must and will be served”. Fatima Bhutto characterized Noor’s murder as “a test for a system that too easily bends to power and influence”, while also noting the countless women who were victims of violence but whose cases never went noticed because they were poor or unknown. The incident is one amongst a series of high profile “honor killings” in recent years, beginning with the killing of Qandeel Baloch, following which Pakistan’s parliament had enacted legislation aiming to counter such cases.