The sessions court in Islamabad hearing the Noor Mukadam murder case has reserved its verdict on Tuesday, after final arguments for both the plaintiff and the accused concluded this week.
Additional Sessions Judge Ata Rabbani stated that the verdict would be announced on Thursday, February 24.
During Tuesday’s hearing, counsel for Noor’s father Shaukat Mukadam attempted to poke holes into main accused Zahir Jaffer’s latest defence, in which he alleged that Noor had hosted a ‘drug party’ at his house at which he had passed out and awoken to find her dead body.
The plaintiff’s counsel pointed out that DNA results had placed Zahir at the scene of the crime, and CCTV footage, the total of which runs 38 hours, did not confirm the presence of other revellers at the supposed house party. Instead, the attorney reiterated that the CCTV footage showed Noor trying to run away from the house, and Zahir Jaffer forcibly pulling her back instead.
The prosecutor also criticised Zahir’s defence, arguing that Zahir’s arrest at the scene of the crime leaves ‘no doubt’ of his guilt.
Since his arrest, Zahir Jaffer has made a spectacle of the proceedings, which have lasted four months, often refusing to enter the court, or otherwise making outlandish remarks towards the judge or the press.
Noor Mukadam’s murder trial has captured national, and international attention. Her brutal murder in July of last year, highlighted the violence perpetuated against Pakistani women, even in upscale neighbourhoods of the country’s capital city.
