Islamabad (Web Desk): The Supreme Court of (SC) on Thursday dismissed a review petition filed by Zahir Jaffer, bringing another round of legal challenge in the Noor Mukadam murder case to an end.
The case relates to the killing of Noor Mukadam, a 27-year-old woman who was found murdered at Jaffer’s Islamabad home in July 2021.
Investigators later established that she was subjected to severe torture before being beheaded, an incident that sparked nationwide outrage.
Jaffer was initially awarded the death sentence by a trial court in February 2022. His conviction was subsequently maintained by the Supreme Court, while the Islamabad High Court had earlier also dismissed his appeal against the trial court’s ruling.
A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, consisting of Justices Hashim Khan Kakar, Salahuddin Panhwar, and Ishtiaq Ibrahim, heard the review petition on Thursday.
During the proceedings, Advocate Khawaja Haris represented Jaffer, whereas Shah Khawar appeared on behalf of the respondents. After hearing detailed arguments from both sides, the bench announced its decision to dismiss the petition.
In his plea, Jaffer had requested the court to revisit its May 20, 2025 judgment. That verdict had upheld his death sentence for murder but reduced the rape conviction to life imprisonment in line with the trial court’s findings, rather than overturning it entirely.
The earlier judgment had also set aside the 10-year imprisonment awarded for kidnapping, while maintaining a one-year sentence under Section 342 of the Pakistan Penal Code for wrongful confinement.
Filed under Article 188 of the Constitution, the 47-page review petition argued through his counsel that the Supreme Court had not properly considered claims regarding his alleged mental incapacity. It further claimed that the record did not contain sufficient evidence to sustain the rape conviction.
Despite these arguments, the top court upheld its earlier decision and dismissed the review petition, leaving the previous verdicts unchanged.