ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani state has sought capital punishment for Zahir Jaffer who raped and beheaded a 27-year-old woman Noor Mukadam at his Islamabad residence in July last year while demanding enhancement of sentences for others involved in the case in an appeal filed in a local court.
The office of Advocate General Islamabad on Wednesday filed the appeal in Islamabad High Court against the verdict announced in the case by a district court in February this year. The 30-year-old Pakistani-American, Jaffer was given death sentence for killing Mukadam along with 25-year imprisonment for rape, 10-year jail term for abduction and one-year prison time for keeping the victim in illegal confinement.
Others charged in the case included Jaffer’s parents, Zakir Jaffer and Asmat Adamjee, three members of their household staff, Iftikhar, Jan Muhammad and Jameel, and six employees of Therapy Works, a counseling center from where Jaffer had received certification as a therapist, and where he had been receiving treatment in the weeks leading up to the murder. The court also announced 10-year prison sentence for both Iftikhar and Jan Mohammad while all others were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
The state has now appealed the high court to enhance Jaffer’s punishment from 25 years imprisonment in rape to capital punishment, increase sentences of Iftikhar and Jan Mohammad and reverse the acquittal of Jaffer’s parents and Therapy Works employees.
“Jaffer was proven guilty of raping Noor Mukadam through forensic reports and he himself admitted it too in the court. Therefore, we are appealing the high court to award him death sentence on this charge too,” advocate Zohaib Gondal, a law officer at the Advocate General Islamabad office, told Arab News on Thursday.
He said the state had also appealed the court to enhance sentences of Iftikhar and Mohammad since they were also found guilty of involvement in the murder.
“We have challenged acquittal of Jaffer’s parents and Therapy Works employees on the basis of substantial evidence,” he added.
Gondal said the state would produce mobile phone and call record data in the high court to prove the involvement of Jaffer’s parents in the murder.
“The CCTV footage showing the presence of Therapy Works employees on the crime scene is a crucial piece of evidence that proves their involvement in the case,” he continued.
The prosecution proved during the court proceedings that Jaffer had raped Mukadam, the daughter of a former Pakistani diplomat, and tortured her with a knuckle duster before beheading her.
He was arrested at his residence on the day of the murder and indicted last October.
The victim’s father, Shaukat Mukadam, has already filed an appeal in the Islamabad High Court against the acquittal of nine people accused in the case.
The court will start hearing the case on April 27.
Pakistani state seeks stricter sentence for Zahir Jaffer, others in Noor Mukadam murder case
https://arab.news/bdh5v
Pakistani state seeks stricter sentence for Zahir Jaffer, others in Noor Mukadam murder case
- Mukadam was raped and beheaded by Zahir Jaffer at his Islamabad residence in July last year
- The state has challenged the acquittal of Jaffer’s parents on the basis of ‘substantial evidence’
Pakistan sends 7.5 tons of additional relief supplies to Sri Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah devastation
- Pakistan dispatches tents, tarpaulins, powdered milk aboard commercial flight from Lahore
- Pakistan Army, Navy and rescue teams are already operating in Sri Lankan disaster-hit zones
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday dispatched an additional 7.5 tons of humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka following widespread destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said in a statement.
More than two million people, nearly 10 percent of the population, have been affected by last week’s climate crisis-spurred floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, the worst on the island this century. Over 618 people have been killed.
Sri Lanka has issued a formal international appeal for emergency assistance, with Islamabad stepping up support on the direction of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Monday’s relief consignment, including tents, tarpaulins and powdered milk, was flown to Colombo from Lahore on a commercial aircraft.
“NDMA has coordinated with airlines to ensure that all available cargo space on commercial flights is fully utilized for the rapid transport of relief items,” the disaster agency said. “This mechanism will continue in the coming days to dispatch further assistance as required.”
Pakistan has been supporting relief operations since the onset of the disaster. A Pakistan Army search-and-rescue team is currently operating in affected regions, backed by Pakistan Navy ships and helicopters assisting local authorities with evacuations and life-saving missions.
NDMA said Pakistan “stands firmly with the people of Sri Lanka in this difficult hour and will continue to extend all possible assistance to support ongoing rescue and relief efforts.”
The International Monetary Fund said on Friday Sri Lanka had requested financial assistance of about $200 million to address the destruction caused by the cyclone.
