Zahir Jaffer, 30, had killed Noor Mukadam in his Islamabad home in July 2021, after she refused his marriage proposal.
The heir to a wealthy Pakistani family was sentenced to death on Thursday February 24 for raping and beheading his partner, a murder that shed harsh light on the plight of brutalized women in this still very patriarchal country.
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Zahir Jaffer, 30, who has dual Pakistani and American nationality, had killed Noor Mukadam at his Islamabad home in July after she refused his marriage proposal. He first hit her several times with brass knuckles, then decapitated her with aedged weapon“, according to the police. Noor Mukadam, 27 and the daughter of a former ambassador, tried several times to escape from the luxurious mansion, but two members of the domestic staff stopped her. “The main defendant received the death penaltysaid Judge Atta Rabbani, delivering the verdict in a court in Islamabad.
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Zahir Jaffer’s father, a wealthy industry boss, and his wife, who were accused of trying to cover up the crime, have been acquitted. The two domestic workers were sentenced to 10 years in prison for complicity in murder. “I am satisfied that justice has been donesaid Shuakat Mukadam, the victim’s father, who served as Pakistan’s ambassador to South Korea and Kazakhstan, while promising to appeal the acquittal of Zahir Jaffer’s parents.
Not “mentally stable”
The crime had aroused the indignation of defenders of women’s rights, in a country where violence against them is commonplace. Demonstrations had taken place in several cities, accompanied by calls to reform the legislation in this area. The violence of the act and the involvement of elite families had prompted calls for a quick verdict, in a country where the justice system is notoriously slow and criminal cases often drag on for years. According to the legal aid group Asma Jahangir, the conviction rate for cases of violence against women does not even reach 3%.
Victims of sexual or domestic violence are often too frightened to report their abusers, and when they are filed, complaints rarely lead to rigorous investigations. The verdict on Zahir Jaffer will have to be confirmed by another court, as Pakistani law stipulates in death penalty cases. He can then also file an appeal. Zahir Jaffer was expelled from court several times during the trial due to his behavior. He was often taken to court on a stretcher or in a wheelchair, and his lawyers claimed he was not “mentally stable“. The prosecution saw it as a maneuver to try to obtain a postponement of the trial.