The conviction of Zahir Jaffer and others in the assassination of Noor Muqaddam will stand, the Islamabad High Court ruled on Monday.
According to reports in the local media, the reserved decision was revealed today by a division bench that included IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan.
After a drawn-out trial that lasted more than four months, Zahir Jaffer pleaded not guilty to the heinous murder, claiming that he had been wrongly accused. The court had previously withheld judgment on that plea.
Other parties involved in the case, such as Zahir’s parents and the staff and workers of Therapy Works, have also asked the court to hear an appeal.
A sessions court had earlier in February executed Zahir Jaffer for the murder of Noor Mukadam. In the midst of heavy security outside the court, the session judge read the judgment after hearing from the four accused, including Zahir. In front of Noor’s father, the judgment was announced.
In addition, the judge sentenced Jamil and Jan Mohammad, two of his employees, to 10 years in prison. Tahir Zahoor, another defendant, was found not guilty.
While his parents and staff were detained in July of last year on suspicion of concealing evidence and for their alleged involvement in the crime, Zahir was found at the crime site.
The primary suspect previously admitted to murdering Noor, and tests on his DNA and fingerprints also revealed that he was involved in the brutal Killing
On July 20, Noor Mukadam was executed in the F-7 district of Islamabad. The deceased was Shaukat Mukadam’s daughter; she was Pakistan‘s envoy to Kazakhstan and South Korea.