Father Noor Mukadam who was slain last year in an act of cold blood murder by a family friend Zahir Jaffer, has appealed to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to take up his appeal challenging the acquittal of Zahir Jaffer’s fathers and other co-accused in his daughter’s murder case.

He along with his wife held a peaceful gathering outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and was joined by the friends of Noor Mukadam, members of civil society calling upon the court for speedy hearing of his appeals.

A trial court earlier this year in February had handed death sentence to Zahir Jaffer and awarded 10-year jail term to his gardener Jan Muhammad and security guard Muhammad Iftikhar.

However, the court had acquitted his parents, Zakir Jaffer and his wife Asmat Adamjee along with the cook Jamil and all the accused employees of Therapy Works, a counseling centre run by the Jaffers in Islamabad. Noor’s father Shaukat Mukadam in March had challenged the acquittal of the co-accused and pleaded before the court through his counsel that there was a solid digital evidence against all the accused nominated in the First Information Report (FIR) therefore, they should also be punished in accordance with the law.

“The acquittal by the trial court was against the law,” the appeal had stated. However, despite passage of almost three months, his petitions have not been taken up for hearing.

On Monday, Shaukat Mukadam who is a retired ambassador of Pakistan and has served in many countries arrived at the IHC along with his wife, Noor’s friends and members of civil society.

They were holding placards on which slogans were written: ‘Justice for Noor Mukadam’ and ‘Punish the Culprits.’ While talking to the media Shaukat Mukadam hoped the court would take up his appeals and hold an early hearing. It was not easy to lose our daughter and after her life was unbearable. However, her friends, members of civil society and general public came to console and stood by us and gave us a hope that we could seek justice for Noor, he said.

They assured us that they would carry along the memory of Noor by standing against the oppressor and with the oppressed. This made possible for us to get the main accused sentenced by the court, he said.

Now we are here at the IHC that has always upheld speedy disposal of justice in crimes of heinous nature and even gave the trial court a timeline to announce the verdict in Noor Mukadam murder case and request the court to hear our appeals against acquittal of the co-accused, said Shaukat Mukadam.

Source: Pakistan Observer