Islamabad: Parents of Noor Mukadam, who was slain last year by her estranged boyfriend Zahir Jaffer, on Monday held a peaceful gathering outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC) demanding speedy hearing of their appeals against acquittal of Jaffer’s parents.
A trial court in February had handed the death sentence to Zahir Jaffer and awarded 10-year jail term to his gardener Jan Mohammed and security guard Mohammed 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 counselling 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 solid digital evidence against all the accused mentioned in the First Information Report (FIR) and therefore, they should also be punished in accordance with the law.
“The acquittal of the co-accused 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 like ‘Justice for Noor Mukadam’ and ‘Punish the Culprits.’ While talking to the media Shaukat Mukadam said he 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, he said. “However, her friends, members of civil society and the general public came to console and stood by us and gave us hope that we could seek justice for Noor.”
They assured us that they would carry along the memory of Noor by standing against the oppressor and with the oppressed. This made it possible for us to get the main accused sentenced by the court, he said.
