A three-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday adjourned until May 19 the hearing of Zahir Jaffar’s appeal against his death sentence in the Noor Mukadam murder case, after both the defence and prosecution agreed to the postponement.

The bench comprised Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Ali Baqar Najafi. When the hearing of the case commenced, Zahir Jaffar’s lawyer Salman Safdar sought adjournment for submitting additional documents.

The court directed the defence lawyer Salman Safdar and prosecution lawyer Shah Khawar to come fully prepared on next date of hearing, as no further adjourned will be granted.

Zahir Jaffar was awarded death sentence by a district and sessions court in Islamabad in February 2022, for murdering 27 year old Noor Mukadam, daughter of a former diplomat Shaukat Mukadam.

He was also handed a 25-year prison term with hard labour and fined Rs200,000. Two of his domestic staff, Iftikhar and Jameel, received 10-year prison sentences, while Jaffer’s parents and several employees of TherapyWorks were acquitted.

In March 2023, the Islamabad High Court upheld the death sentence of Zahir Jaffar and upgraded the 25-year sentence to an additional death penalty, following appeals. Later, he moved to Supreme Court.

It was stated in the First Information Report (FIR) that Noor Mukadam was ‘beheaded after being killed with a sharp weapon’ in a brutal act that sparked outrage across the country.