Court retains death penalty for murder; rape sentence commuted and other penalties adjusted.

Supreme Court Decision and Additional Note

In May 2025 the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence for Zahir Jafar in the 2021 murder of Noor Mukadam. On Wednesday, Justice Ali Baqar Najafi now serving on the Federal Constitutional Court released a detailed seven-page additional note explaining his concurrence with the majority’s decision.

Judge Labels ‘Living Relationships’ a Social Evil

In the note, Justice Najafi strongly criticized what he described as “living” relationships an apparent reference to live-in arrangements calling them “not only a social evil but also against Islamic teachings.” He warned that such relationships undermine societal values and religious principles and urged the nation’s youth to draw lessons from the tragic case.

Court Findings and Sentences

The Supreme Court upheld Jafar’s death sentence for murder. The court had earlier commuted his death sentence on rape charges to life imprisonment; his 10-year kidnapping sentence was reduced to one year. The order requiring compensation to Noor Mukadam’s family was maintained. Officials confirmed that the evidence supporting the original punishment remains on record.

Case Background and Proceedings

Noor Mukadam, aged 27, was discovered murdered at Zahir Jafar’s Islamabad residence in July 2021. Investigations indicated she was tortured and later beheaded. The trial court initially sentenced Jafar to death, a verdict later affirmed by the Islamabad High Court which had also issued a second death penalty on rape charges before the Supreme Court’s modifications.

A three-member Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Hashim Kakar and including Justices Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Ali Baqar Najafi heard the appeal. Barrister Salman Safdar represented Zahir Jafar, while Advocate Shah Khawar acted for Noor’s father, retired diplomat Shaukat Mukadam. Jafar’s counsel argued that the evidence must be “beyond doubt,” raising concerns about the reliability and viewability of CCTV footage used at the Islamabad High Court.

Aftermath and Legal Options

Zahir Jafar has filed a review petition challenging the Supreme Court’s ruling. Meanwhile, Justice Najafi’s additional note frames the case as a broader societal lesson, particularly addressing upper-class behaviours he believes contributed to the tragedy.