The Supreme Court has issued a detailed judgment on the review petition filed against the death sentence of Zahir Zakir Jaffer, the main convict in the murder of 27-year-old Pakistani-Jordanian woman Noor Mukadam.

A three-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim dismissed Zahir Jaffer’s review petition on June 4, 2026, and upheld the lower judiciary’s decision.

The 12-page detailed judgment was authored by Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim.

The court maintained the death penalty awarded by the lower judiciary, observing that the brutality of the crime and its nature did not allow any leniency in sentencing or conversion of the death sentence into life imprisonment.

The court also rejected the convict’s plea of mental instability. It noted that in his statement recorded under Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, Zahir Jaffer’s answers were coherent and showed that he fully understood the proceedings.

The judgment said a 2015 medical report from a UK doctor related to an earlier period, after which he had recovered. The court further observed that the convict was provided with all facilities for his defence and legal representation.

It added that the appointment of a lawyer at state expense and the full cross-examination of witnesses confirmed that constitutional and legal requirements were met.

The court also ruled that under the amended Section 510 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, Forensic Science Laboratory reports in rape cases are admissible in court even without summoning the witness.

Expressing grave concern over rising violence against women and serious crimes such as murder, the court said that protecting women’s dignity and rights is a constitutional responsibility of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Citing reports from United Nations agencies, the court said that any attack on the sanctity of women amounts to treason against national and religious values.

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