ISLAMABAD: A sessions court in Islamabad will announce the verdict today, Thursday, in the Noor Mukadam murder case after all sides concluded arguments earlier in this week, bringing to a close a saga that has gripped the nation and whose trial has been one of the most-closely watched in recent Pakistani history.
Mukadam, the daughter of a former Pakistani diplomat, was found beheaded in Islamabad’s upscale F-7/4 neighborhood in July last year. The murder sparked public outrage and grabbed media attention unlike any other recent crime against women. The key suspect in the murder, Zahir Jaffer, was arrested from the crime scene, his residence, on the day of the murder. He was indicted last October.
Others charged in the case include Jaffer’s parents, Zakir Jaffer and Asmat Adamjee, their three household staff, Iftikhar, Jan Muhammad and Jameel, and six employees of Therapy Works, a counseling center 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. Police say a team from the counseling center was already at the crime scene when they arrived on July 20, having been summoned by Jaffer’s parents. The charges against Jaffer’s parents and the counselling team range from evidence tampering to abetment.
The trial for the case, which began in October, was conducted at Islamabad’s district court, and heard by additional sessions judge Atta Rabbani.
Talking to the media after the last hearing in the trial on Tuesday, Shaukat Mukadam, the father of the victim, said he had sought “maximum punishment” for the accused. He reposed his confidence in Judge Rabbani, saying he had “conducted a fair and transparent trial.” He added that he was “completely satisfied” with the investigation despite “some ups and downs.”
He also commended the police for operating “under pressure.”
“It was a difficult time but I have full faith in my daughter,” Shaukat said. “Noor Mukadam was a good girl and she was not involved in anything wrong.”
At an earlier hearing, Jaffer, who initially confessed to the crime before police and the court, pleaded not guilty to the killing, saying he was innocent and wrongly implicated in the case. His lawyers said Mukadam had arranged a “drug party” at Jaffer’s residence on July 20 as his parents were away in Karachi, saying Jaffer fell unconscious from “overuse” of drugs and Mukadam was killed by someone else who had attended the party. At another hearing, the defense also asked the court to consider the possibility that Mukadam had been “honor killed” by her brother.
The Mukadam family’s counsel, advocate Shah Khawar, has argued that all evidence, including DNA samples, call data records (CDR), digital video record (DVR) and forensics, collected using scientific methods, pointed toward Jaffer’s guilt.
“The court should grant maximum punishment to all the accused,” he prayed before the court.
All eyes on Noor Mukadam murder case today as Islamabad court to announce verdict
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All eyes on Noor Mukadam murder case today as Islamabad court to announce verdict
- Mukadam was found beheaded at the home of Zahir Jaffer in Islamabad last July in a case that has gripped the nation
- The months-long trial was one of the most closely watched in recent Pakistani history, Jaffer has pleaded not guilty
Pakistani, Uzbek leaders urge business community to help achieve $2 billion trade target
- Pakistan and Uzbekistan have steadily increased economic ties in recent years, with bilateral trade volume reaching nearly $500 million
- President Shavkat Mirziyoyev says business community is ‘most important bridge’ linking both nations, promising favorable business climate
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Friday urged businesspersons from both countries to help the two countries achieve a bilateral trade target of $2 billion within the next five years.
The two leaders made the call while addressing traders, industrialists from both countries at the Pakistan Uzbekistan Business Forum in Islamabad during President Mirziyoyev’s visit to the South Asian country.
Pakistan and Uzbekistan have steadily increased economic ties in recent years as Pakistan offers landlocked Central Asian states greater access to global markets, aiming to position itself as a regional transit hub.
Pakistan was the first Central Asian partner with which Uzbekistan signed a bilateral Transit Trade Agreement, along with a Preferential Trade Agreement in March 2022, covering 17 items, which became operational in 2023.
“We agreed that political goodwill must be matched by economic actions and words must be converted into implementation,” Sharif said, citing his visit to Tashkent last year which had helped brought annual bilateral trade to nearly $450 million.
“Today, ladies and gentlemen, we will strengthen last night’s protocol by signing another document today, which will give you vistas of opportunities to sit down together, B2B (business to business), have wonderful discussions with your counterparts and come to arrangements in terms of joint ventures, investments in Uzbekistan and Pakistan.”
Sharif was referring to the protocol signed between the two countries on Thursday to establish a joint working group to formulate a five-year action plan to take bilateral trade to $2 billion. Both sides also signed 28 agreements focused on areas such as defense cooperation, climate change, disaster risk reduction, disaster management, agriculture, exports of fruits, and mining and geosciences.
President Mirziyoyev said the increase in bilateral trade to half-a-billion dollars was an outcome of their talks held in Tashkent in Feb. last year.
“Over the course of very comprehensive and detailed discussions yesterday, we together decided that this is far [from] being enough,” he told businessperson from both countries.
The Uzbek president said business community is the “most important bridge” in linking the two nations and it was their job as heads of the state to ensure favorable conditions for them.
“Success of this agreement is in your hands,” he told the attendees, assuring them of eliminating any obstacles and bottlenecks in the process.
Later, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari conferred the Nishan-e-Pakistan, the highest civilian award of the country, on President Mirziyoyev at a televised ceremony.
The Nishan-e-Pakistan is awarded to individuals who have rendered services of highest distinction to the national interest of Pakistan and has often been conferred on visiting Heads of State as a mark of respect and friendship.
