ISLAMABAD: Zahir Jaffer, the prime suspect in the gruesome July murder of 27-year-old Noor Mukadam, said at an indictment hearing on Thursday that he had committed the “crime” but appealed to the judge to release him from jail and put him under house arrest.
At a hearing that lasted nearly three hours, a district and sessions court in Islamabad indicted 12 people present in the courtroom, including the main accused Jaffer, for their alleged involvement in the murder of Mukadam, the daughter of former Pakitani diplomat Shaukat Mukadam. Mukadam’s beheaded body was found at the Jaffer residence in Islamabad on July 20.
Others against whom charges were framed on Thursday include Jaffer's parents, Zakir Jaffer and Asmat Adamjee, their three household staff, Iftikhar, Jan Muhammad and Jameel, and six workers from Therapy Works, a counselling centre from where Jaffer had received certification to become a therapist and where he had been receiving treatment in the weeks leading up to the murder.
The court has now summoned witnesses on October 20 to record their statements and plans to complete the trial of all twelve suspects within eight weeks as ordered by the Islamabad High Court.
The trail will be one of the most closely watched in recent history, as Mukadam’s murder has sparked public outrage and grabbed media attention unlike any other recent crime against women.
“I accept I have committed this crime, now it’s up to you to punish or forgive me,” a somber looking Jaffer, visibly in low spirits unlike at previous hearings, said before additional sessions judge Atta Rabbani. “We quarrelled, and we both were angry, and this all happened.”
Jaffer was arrested from the crime scene on the day of the murder. He was initially on police remand but was moved to Adiala Jail in the city of Rawalpindi on judicial remand in early August where he has been detained since.
As lawyers for the Jaffer and Mukadam families presented arguments, Jaffer kept interrupting and saying speaking before the court was his “basic right.” At one point he sat down and started sobbing loudly.
“I want to apologise,” he said. “This case is related to me. You are hearing the lawyers of others but not giving me time.”
The accused said he had been in a relationship with Mukadam. At one point he turned to the victim’s father and said, “I was in a relationship with your daughter for the last three years. My life is now in your hands. Please have mercy on me.”
“But if you want to see me hanged, it’s okay and I’m ready for it.”
Jaffer also said Noor had offered herself for “the sacrifice.” It was unclear what he meant by “sacrifice.”
At multiple times during the hearing, the accused blamed Therapy Works staff for the murder, though it was unclear how their presence at the scene had led him to behead Mukadam. Police have said a team from the counselling centre was already at the crime scene when they arrived on July 20, having been summoned by Jaffer's parents who were in Karachi at the time of the crime.
“We had arguments, but if these people [Therapy Works staff] didn’t come in, this [the murder] would not have happened,” he added, pointing to Amjad, a Therapy Works employee indicted in the case. “He is the guy … I asked them [Therapy Works staff] to wait outside [my home] for at least thirty minutes, but they barged in through a window and this all happened.”
Jaffer also appealed to the judge to release him from jail and put him under house arrest.
“I can’t live in the jail, can’t lead such a life. I want to live a life where I have a wife and children.”
“Please tell me if you’re going to hang me,” he added. “Release me or forgive me.”
He requested the court multiple times to let him make a phone call, though he did not specify who he wanted to call.
Regarding a pistol found at the crime scene, Jaffer said both his and Mukadam’s fingerprints were found on the weapon.
“That pistol belongs to my father. And this all was in my father’s knowledge,” he said. It was unclear if he meant that his father knew he was going to commit a crime.
I committed the crime, Zahir Jaffer says at indictment hearing in Noor Mukadam murder case
https://arab.news/bqkqe
I committed the crime, Zahir Jaffer says at indictment hearing in Noor Mukadam murder case
- At hearing that lasted nearly three hours, district court in Islamabad indicted 12 people present in courtroom
- Jaffer says he was in a relationship with Mukadam, asks court to “punish or forgive" him, appeals to be put under house arrest
Pakistan’s Mahnoor Omer named among TIME’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026
- Omer moved a Pakistani court against the so-called ‘period tax’ in Sept. 2025 which has since sparked a national debate
- Taxes on sanitary pads in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to retail price, UNICEF says only around 12 percent women use such products
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani women’s rights activist Mahnoor Omer, who fought against taxes on menstrual products, has been named among the TIME magazine’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026.
Omer’s efforts have been recognized alongside 16 activists, artists, athletes and businesswomen in the TIME’s Women of the Year 2026 list, including Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Chloe Zhao.
Dissatisfied with the efforts to educate Pakistani girls about sexual violence, Omer founded the Noor Foundation at the age of 14 and held her own workshops with village girls about everything from climate change to menstruation, according to the TIME magazine.
Two years later, a conversation with a domestic worker about the price of pads made her realize that not everyone could afford these essentials. She moved a court against the so-called “period tax” in Sept. 2025 and the case has sparked a national debate on the subject, considered a taboo by many in Pakistan, since its first hearing late last year.
“A decade and one law degree after her interest in activism was sparked, Omer, now 25, is putting her passion and expertise to work in the name of gender equity,” TIME wrote about Omer on its website.
Taxes imposed on sanitary products in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to the retail price. UNICEF estimates just 12 percent of women in the country use commercially produced pads or tampons. The alternative, using cloth, risks health impacts including rashes and infections, and can make it impossible for girls to attend school while menstruating.
Omer’s suit, which awaits the government response, has sparked a national discussion. She says she spoke about menstruation to her father and male cousins, who thanked her for standing up for their daughters.
The 25-year-old, who is currently enrolled in a master’s degree in gender, peace, and security at the London School of Economics, sees this case as just the first of many.
“I’m not free until every woman is free,” she was quoted as saying by TIME. “I want to leave no stones unturned in terms of what I can do with the next few decades, as a lawyer for the women in my country and gender minorities in general.”
