Noor Mukadam got justice

Restoring faith in the system

An Islamabad sessiona court has sentenced Zahir Jaffer to death in the Noor Mukadam murder case. On this verdict, Noor Mukadam’s father says that Noor Mukadam has got justice, as this case is not only of his daughter, but it is a matter of protection of every daughter of Pakistan. In the Noor Mukadam case, the decision of the court is a testament to the sincerity of the people. During this case, the culprit Zahir Jaffer has been making many melodramatic claims in the court and the services of the most expensive lawyers had also been obtained but after the verdict of the court, the people are hopeful that this beast will soon reach the point of punishment.

It is clear that Zahir Jaffer brutally killed Noor Mukadam and his employees helped him in the murder instead of saving Noor. However, the police found the decapitated body of Noor Mukadam on the spot. There was no eyewitness to the incident. When the matter came to light through social media, the Prime Minister took notice and directed the Interior Ministry to take this incident as a test case and punish the accused involved in it. The Interior Minister put the names of culprit Zahir Jaffer and other accused involved in the blacklist and arrested all of them and compiled a challan of the case. The trial lasted for four months and eight days and finallythe verdict of this historic case was pronounced.

There is no doubt that this was a complex case and the evidence for it was not as common as in ordinary cases, because Zahir Jaffer committed the murder in his own house and no one saw the murder take place. However, all the scenes were recorded in the CCTV cameras installed in the house. The police took all the cameras into their custody and made the evidence part of the case by preserving the evidence obtained with the help of modern technology. The police have not only confined themselves to making evidence, but also presented it before the court in such a way that the court considered it as strong evidence.

There is no doubt that the law has shown its supremacy in the Noor Mukadam case, however, just as the Noor Mukadam case was expedited and its decision was based on justice, so should the decisions in other cases be expeditious. On the one hand, the perpetrators should be punished in a timely manner and on the other hand, the victims should be given timely justice. It is hoped that the appeal process in the Noor Mukadam case will be disposed of at the same speed so that this case will become an example.

This is the first time in this case that the accused has been convicted on the basis of evidence gathered with the help of modern technology instead of eyewitnesses of murder. This time the police investigation and prosecution team has proved their case with great skill and success. Noor Mukadam’s killer had confessed to the murder in his initial statement, but recanted in court and started trying to prove his innocence. The accused’s lawyers have also been trying their best to prove that he is a mental and neurological patient; bur the police have thwarted the tricks on every occasion with evidence. During the trial, there were fears that the accused would be spared due to insufficient evidence but the verdict of this case proved that strong evidence and proofs obtained from modern technology can also be relied upon.

Justice has won in Noor Mukadam case, where Noor Mukadam got justice, so in an atmosphere of uncertainty the people are beginning to believe in their safety, the people have come to know that in the country, it is not yet so dark that the common man cannot get justice but it should not be necessary for the case of the common man to become an adornment of social media, and only then would the national institutions come into action and only then would justice preva3i. If the institutions take immediate action against any violation of law in the country and the courts ensure the provision of speedy justice then crime can be largely averted from the society.

There is no doubt that the law has shown its supremacy in the Noor Mukadam case, however, just as the Noor Mukadam case was expedited and its decision was based on justice, so should the decisions in other cases be expeditious. On the one hand, the perpetrators should be punished in a timely manner and on the other hand, the victims should be given timely justice. It is hoped that the appeal process in the Noor Mukadam case will be disposed of at the same speed so that this case will become an example.

There are fears among the people that the accused, being strong enough, will not only challenge the death sentence in the high courts, but will also try his best to suspend the sentence passed against him. The decisions should be such that the public should perce5ve justice as being done.

Attiya Munawer
Attiya Munawer
The writer tweets @AttiyaMunawer

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