The Supreme Court of Pakisrtan postponed the hearing on the call of Zahir Jaffer against his death sentence in the murder case of Noor Mukadam until May 19, following a mutual agreement of the two parties.
The call was heard Tuesday by a bench of three members led by judge Hashim Kakar and including the judges Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Ali Baqar Najafi.
Defense lawyer Salman Safdar and the lawyer Shah Khawar were present during the procedure.
SAFDAR required more time to submit other documents, arguing that they could considerably affect the outcome of the case.
He argued that Jaffer suffers from a mental illness, a defense which, according to him, had been neglected by the trial and the high lessons.
“No medical advice has ever been formed to assess the accused’s mental health,” Safdar told the bench, adding that previous judgments of the Supreme Court had also been ignored.
Judge Kakar questioned the justification of an adjournment, noting that the two legal teams were present. “In our court, a case is only delayed if the judge or the lawyer dies,” he said, criticizing the frequency of avoidable delays.
Judge Najafi asked if the question of mental illness had been raised during previous procedures. When Safdar confirmed that it had not been considered sufficient consideration, judge Kakar observed that the point could still be argued without requiring new request.
Prosecutor Shah Khawar opposed the adjournment, but judge Najafi advised him to respond only after the defense officially submitted his request.
The court ordered the two parties to return entirely prepared for the next hearing scheduled for May 19.
Noor, 27, was found assassinated his head detached from his body at the Jaffar residence in the high-end sector of Islamabad F-7/4 on July 20, 2021. A first information report (FIR) was later recorded the same day against Zahir Jaffer, who was arrested on the site site.
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In February 2022, a district judge and sessions condemned Jaffer for the murder of Mukadam, sentenced him to death with 25 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of 200,000 rupees.
Its cleaning staff, Iftikhar and Jameel – co -accused in the case – were each sentenced to 10 years in prison, while all the other suspects, including Jaffer’s parents and TherapyWorks employees were acquitted.
According to the list of causes available on the Supreme Court of Pakistan website, “the hearing on the call against Jaffer’s death penalty will take place on May 13.”
Judge Hashim Kakar will run a bench of three members, including judge Ishtiaq Ibrahim and judge Ali Baqar Najafi, who will hear the case.
