Daily Times

Zahir Jaffer, the prime suspect in Noor Mukadam’s murder case, has reportedly confessed to committing the crime, a private TV channel reported.

The accused has reportedly said in his statement that he killed Noor for ‘cheating’ on him.Sources said the prime suspect has repeatedly changed his reasoning for committing the brutal crime. Islamabad police have also found video evidence of him torturing Noor on his mobile phone, as well as CCTV footage of the incident.”In the footage, the girl can be seen trying to escape from the house by jumping from the first floor and rushing towards the main gate,” the sources added.The victim could then be seen running to a security guard’s cabin and locking herself in the room. Zahir followed her and dragged her out of the cabin, while the security guard and others in the street witnessed the events. Neither the guards nor the onlookers stopped Zahir.

The victim’s family reportedly informed the investigation team that Noor had instructed her driver to bring Rs700,000 to the accused’s house. However, the investigation team said no evidence regarding this had come to light.A senior police officer added that there was no confirmation of the money being withdrawn from the victim’s account, from her home, or from any other relatives.

Meanwhile, a sessions court in Islamabad on Tuesday sent to jail the parents of Zahir Jaffer and two other suspects on a 14-day judicial remand for their alleged involvement in the murder of Noor Mukadam, the daughter of a former Pakistani ambassador, a private TV channel reported.

The suspects were presented before Judicial Magistrate Shoaib Akhtar’s court. At the outset of the hearing, the police requested the judge for a 14-day judicial remand of the suspects. After hearing the request, the judge asked the plaintiffs whether they would like to present their arguments in the case. The lawyers responded by saying that they will not present their arguments if the judge will send the suspects to jail on remand. The court, on hearing this, approved the remand and the suspects – Zakir Jaffer, AsmatAdamjee, Iftikhar and Jameel – were ordered to be sent to Adiala Jail. However, before the hearing could be dismissed, Raja RizwanAbbasi, the lawyer for Zakir Jaffer and his wife, asked the court that he be allowed to meet his clients. The court accepted the request of the lawyer and the suspects were once again brought inside the court where the counsel met his clients. After speaking to his clients, Abbasi appealed to the court to discharge Zakir Jaffer and his wife from the case. At this, Judge Akhtar remarked that the court has already issued orders for judicial remand and cannot entertain the appeal. The lawyer then asked the judge to include his appeal in the written orders and the judge accepted the request. The court subsequently issued the orders for all four suspects to be sent to jail for 14 days and ordered the police to present them in the next hearing on August 10.

Following the verdict, Zahir’s parents turned in a request for release on bail to the court. The court sent a notice to the police, informing them of the request, and also asking for a complete record of the case.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Sohail will decide on the matter of bail on July 30.

Meanwhile, the Mukadam family lawyer said that Zahir Jaffer’s counsel “has not taken a plea that the suspect has a mental disability”. Shah Khawar, the lawyer, said that till Monday, three court hearings of the case had been held, and not once had Jaffer’s defense counsel taken the insanity plea. “If this plea is taken later by his lawyer then that will be an afterthought,” Shah Khawar said. “As of now this defense only exists on social media.”

Earlier last week, the SSP Investigation told the media in Islamabad that Zahir Jaffer was sound of mind and “in his senses” when arrested at the scene of the crime.

When asked about the investigation into the case, Shah Khawar said that the police probe was moving in the right direction. In a case like this there are no witnesses, except the suspect himself, he added, “so forensic analysis of evidence is very important here”.

In a parallel development, Zahir’s fingerprints were taken to seek his criminal record in the US and UK, sources within the police told a private TV channel. The police’s fingerprint experts sent the suspect’s prints to the American and British embassies, the sources said. The sources said that Zahir’s criminal history will be made part of the case.