SC to hear Zahir Jaffer's review plea in Noor Mukadam murder case on April 8

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has fixed April 8 for the hearing of a review petition filed by Zahir Jaffer in the high-profile murder case of Noor Mukadam.

Noor, 27, was brutally murdered at Jaffer’s Islamabad residence in July 2021. Investigations revealed she was tortured before being beheaded, in a case that sparked nationwide outrage and renewed calls for justice and women’s safety.

Jaffer had been awarded the death penalty by a trial court—a verdict later upheld by the Islamabad High Court. However, he filed a review petition last year seeking reconsideration of the apex court’s judgment.

According to a cause list issued by the Supreme Court, the hearing will take place on Wednesday, April 8. The 47-page petition, filed by Advocate Khawaja Haris under Article 188 of the Constitution, names the state and Noor’s father, Shaukat Ali Mukadam, as respondents.

The plea raises multiple legal grounds, including the argument that the issue of Jaffer’s alleged “unsoundness of mind” was not adequately addressed by the court in its earlier ruling. It further challenges the rape conviction, claiming that there was insufficient evidence on record to substantiate the charge.

In its previous verdict, the Supreme Court had upheld the death sentence for murder but commuted the death penalty on rape charges to life imprisonment. Jaffer was also acquitted of kidnapping charges but awarded a one-year sentence for wrongful confinement under Section 342 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

A central point in the review petition concerns the admissibility and handling of digital evidence. The defence argues that video recordings—key to establishing the chain of events—were neither properly presented during trial nor shared with the accused, despite forming a crucial basis for the conviction.

The apex court, in its detailed judgment, had underscored the importance of digital evidence, invoking the silent witness theory. This legal principle allows video and photographic material to be admitted as primary evidence without requiring direct eyewitness testimony, provided its authenticity is established.

The case traces back to July 20, 2021, when Noor’s body was discovered at a residence in Islamabad’s upscale F-7/4 sector. An FIR was registered the same day, and Jaffer was arrested at the scene.

In February 2022, a district and sessions court sentenced him to death for murder and 25 years of rigorous imprisonment for rape. Two members of his household staff, Mohammad Iftikhar and Jan Mohammad, were each handed 10-year prison terms for their roles in the crime.

Jaffer’s parents, Zakir Jaffer and Asmat Adamji, were initially indicted but later acquitted.

The upcoming hearing is expected to be closely watched, as it could mark a critical development in one of Pakistan’s most prominent and widely followed criminal cases.