ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence awarded to Zahir Zakir Jaffer in the 2021 Noor Mukadam murder case, rejecting his appeal and bringing finality to one of the country`s most high-profile trials in recent years.

A three-member bench headed by Justice Hashim Kakar and comprising Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Ali Bagar Najafi dismissed the appeal in a packed Courtroom No. 7, attended by civil society activists, non-governmental organisation (NGO) representatives, and friends of the slain victim.The court, however, commuted Zahir`s death sentence on the rape charge to life imprisonment and reduced his sentence for kidnapping from ten years to one year.

Noor Mukadam, aged 27 years, was found murdered at Zahir`s Islamabad residence in July 2021, with the probe revealing she was tortured before being beheaded.

Following the discovery of the dead body, Zahir was arrested as the prime suspect in the case. His death sentence by the trial court was earlier upheld by the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

During the Supreme Court hearing, Justice Najafi remarked on the need for societal awareness, stressing that the state should sensitisethe young generation about the perils of `living-in relationships`, which he described as a source of societal decay.

His observation came after Islamabad Prosecutor General Ghulam Sarwar Nihung urged the bench to hand down strict punishment, arguing the crime was committed against a vulnerable member of society.

Justice Hashim Kakar regretted that instead of indulging in mere lip service, it would be better if the state does somethingpracticalby discouraging the easy availability of drugs such as `ice` (crystal meth) in the educational institutions of the capital.

`Go and raid Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad, whereyou will find easy access to ice in abundance,` he said, wondering how such affairs flourish without the active connivance of local police.

Pointing towards Advocate Salman Safdar, who represented Zahir Jaffer`s appeal in the court against the death conviction, Justice Kakar observed that it might be his first case in which he had maintained the death sentence, since it was a challenging and complicated case to defend such a heinous crime.

In response, Mr Safdar acknowledged that it was a difficult case to defend.

On Feb 24, 2022, a trial court in Islamabad sentenced Zahir to death for murdering Noor Mukadam. The court also found Zahir guilty of rapeand handed over 25 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs200,000.

On March 14, a division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) upheld Jaffar`s death sentence and converted his life imprisonment into a death sentence.

During the hearing, Advocate Shah Khawar represented Noor Mukadam`s father, Shaukat Mukadam, a retired diplomat.

The Supreme Court also commuted the sentence of the two co-accused, Mohammad Iftikhar (watchman) and Jan Mohammad (gardener), by allowing them to be released. Earlier, the IHC upheld the 10-year sentences awarded to the co-accused by the trialcourt.

In his appeal, Zahir claimed that he and his family were subjected to a media trial, which placed undue pressure on investigators and judicial authorities. The appeal argued that the trial violated Article 10-A of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to a fair trial.

According to the appeal, the petitioner was particularly aggrieved by the `erroneous conviction` and excessively harsh punishment. It said that the IHC had disregarded authoritative judgements while determining the quantum of punishment. It contended that the case had been treated differently from an ordinary trial due to media hype and public pressure.