ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of an appeal filed by Zahir Zakir Jaffer, a Pakistani-American convicted of murdering the daughter of a former diplomat, until May 19, according to local media reports.
Jaffer was sentenced to death in 2022 for the brutal killing of 27-year-old Noor Mukadam, whose beheaded body was found in July 2021 at a residence in Islamabad’s upscale F-7/4 sector.
The case sparked nationwide outrage and became one of Pakistan’s most widely followed trials involving violence against women.
Last year, the Islamabad High Court upheld Jaffer’s death sentence, originally handed down by a sessions court. Subsequently, he filed an appeal in the Supreme Court in April 2023, seeking to overturn the punishment.
“The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned the hearing of Zahir Jaffer’s appeal against his death sentence in the Noor Mukadam murder case until 19 May, following consensus from both parties,” Geo News reported.
Earlier in the day, a three-member bench led by Justice Hashim Kakar heard the case, alongside Justices Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Ali Baqar Najafi. Both defense lawyer Salman Safdar and prosecution counsel Shah Khawar appeared before the court.
The defense requested more time to file additional documentation. Justice Kakar reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the delay, while Justice Najafi advised the prosecution to formally respond only after the defense had submitted the application.
The appeal hearing was preceded by a social media post from Justice for Noor, an advocacy page on Instagram run by Mukadam’s friends.
The post maintained that the defense had attempted to delay court hearings in the past, though it also expressed faith in the country’s judicial system.
“Stand with us,” it urged its followers. “Stand for justice.”
The court adjourned the hearing until May 19, instructing both sides to come fully prepared.
