Noor Mukaddam case: Justice Najafi warns against live-in relationships

Justice Ali Baqar Najafi has issued a seven-page concurring note in the Supreme Court case that rejected the appeal of Zahir Jaffer, the convicted murderer of Noor Mukadam, 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Wednesday.

In the note, the judge endorsed the majority verdict and wrote separately to set out his additional reasoning, warning that the concept of “live-in relationships” poses grave risks to society and runs contrary to Islamic teachings.

The SC judge added that young people should draw lessons from the Noor Muqaddam tragic murder case.

In May, the Supreme Court upheld Jaffer’s death sentence for the murder of Noor Mukadam but reduced his death penalty in the rape charge to life imprisonment.

The Supreme Court also cut his 10-year kidnapping sentence to one year. The court maintained the order requiring compensation to be paid to the victim’s family.

The court also directed the release of Jaffer’s gardener, Jan Mohammad, and guard Iftikhar, who were previously convicted alongside him.

Zahir Jaffer has filed a review petition challenging the Supreme Court’s decision. According to the petition, the apex court failed to evaluate the defendant’s mental condition. It argues that a pending request to constitute a medical board received no ruling from the court.

The review further contends that the conviction relied heavily on video recordings that were neither provided to the defence nor screened during trial, despite being central to the prosecution’s case.

Zahir Jaffer’s legal team claims the judgment was delivered in haste, without fully addressing concerns about procedural fairness or the accused’s mental health.

On May 20, 2025, a three-member bench headed by Justice Hashim Kakar affirmed the death sentence while reducing penalties in related charges.

Noor Mukadam, the daughter of former Pakistani diplomat Shaukat Mukadam, was killed in Islamabad’s F-7/4 neighbourhood on July 20, 2021, after being brutally beaten for hours and then decapitated by Zahir Jaffer, who was later arrested and convicted.

Reporter: Amanat Gishkori