Islamabad: A trial court of Islamabad hearing the murder case of a rights activist Noor Mukadam, 27, daughter of a former ambassador, on Wednesday turned down the plea filed by the defence counsel for the prime suspect Zahir Zakir Jaffer for constitution of a medical board to ascertain his client’s mental disorder.
In his application, the counsel for Jaffer had submitted that his client was facing mental health problems and was not in a stable state therefore a medical board should be constituted to ascertain his health, particularly, mental health.
Jaffer is facing charges of beheading Noor Mukadam last year in July when she was visiting his house in Islamabad’s posh residential sector F-7 on the eve of Eid Al Adha.
Insanity plea
In Wednesday’s hearing, Additional Sessions judge Atta Rabbani who had earlier reserved the verdict after listening to both the sides turned down the ‘insanity plea.’
Earlier, Defence Counsel Sikandar Zulqarnain Salim drew the attention of the court towards Zahir Jaffer’s conduct during the last couple of hearings, particularly hearing in November last year when he had tried to interrupt the hearing and used foul language inside the courtroom.
The defence counsel, while basing his arguments on the ground that his client had committed misconduct and repeatedly interrupted the proceedings in the past held he faced mental health issues and was not in a sound state of mind.
Misconduct, interrupting court’s proceedings
The Islamabad police has also filed a separate case in misconduct and interrupting the proceedings of the court against my client, said Sikandar Zulqarnain, adding it further called for the need of such medical examination.
Advocate Shah Khawar, counsel for Noor Mukadam’s father who is the petitioner in the case, however, opposed forming of a medical board for ascertaining the mental health of the accused.
In his written arguments, he held that Zahir Jaffer appeared before the court during the physical remand and trial stages and never once showed signs of insanity.
Besides, he (Jaffer) had been taking classes with the young students and kids of various international schools in Islamabad. At the Therapy Works, the Drug Addiction Rehab Centre, too, where his parents worked, he was allotted a separate office that also showed his normal behavior and sound mental health at the time of committing the crime, the counsel for the victim’s father said.
Past normal behaviour
Public prosecutor Hassan Abbas also opposed the plea for constitution of a medical board at a time when the case was in the concluding stage. He recalled that Zahir during one of the hearings had asked why Section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) was imposed on him.
The court after hearing both the sides reserved the judgment, however, it dismissed the plea later.
The challan submitted by the police before the court revealed that the victim and Jaffer were in continuous contact. Jaffer was scheduled to leave for the United States (US) on July 19. However, Noor visited him a day before the visit.
Jaffer then postponed his travel plans and things between him and Noor remained peaceful until the evening of July 20.
Both got into an argument following which Jaffer got violent. The victim attempted to escape but the main door of the house was locked. Zahir Jaffer dragged her back inside the house and murdered her, the investigators said.
