Pak court sentences to death son of prominent industrialist for murdering daughter of ex-diplomat

Islamabad, February 24

A Pakistani court here on Thursday sentenced to death the scion of a prominent industrialist family, the main accused in the high-profile murder case of Noor Mukadam, the daughter of a former Pakistani diplomat, who was killed last year after she refused to marry him.

The Sessions Court in Islamabad convicted Zahir Jaffer on the charges of premediated murder of Mukadam.

Mukadam, 27, was Jaffer’s friend who was enraged when she apparently refused to marry him.

Noor’s beheaded body was found at the residence of Jaffer on July 20, 2021.

On the complaint of the victim’s father former ambassador Shaukat Mukadam, the police registered a first information report against Jaffer and arrested him under the charges of premeditated murder, the website of Aaj TV, a Pakistani news channel reported.

On Thursday, Additional Sessions Judge Ata Rabbani announced the verdict he had reserved on Tuesday on the completion of the case, convicting Zahir under Section 302 of the Pakistani Penal Code.

However, the court acquitted Zahir’s father Zakir Jaffer, mother Asmat Adamjee and his personal cook but awarded 10 years jail to each of his servants Iftikhar and Jameel. They were co-accused in the case.

The judge also acquitted employees of TherapyWorks, an organisation dealing with addicts, which was contacted by Zahir’s father to deal with his son when reportedly he was behaving wildly after committing the crime.

The murder last year had shocked the residents of Islamabad and many people asked if the scion of Jaffer Brothers conglomerate of industries, who was also a US citizen, would be brought to justice.