Pakistan Supreme Court upholds death penalty for industrialist who beheaded girlfriend

Pakistani-American Zahir Jaffer had raped and murdered his girlfriend Noor Mukadam in 2021 for refusing his marriage proposal.

Published on: May 20, 2025, 16:41:48 IST

By HT News Desk

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Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the death penalty for a man who beheaded his girlfriend after the case sparked outrage from women's rights activists in the country, reported AFP news agency.

Noor Mukadam was beheaded after she refused her boyfriend's marriage proposal (AP)

In 2021, Pakistani-American Zahir Jaffer, the son of a wealthy industrialist, had attacked his girlfriend, 27-year-old Noor Mukadam, in his house in Islamabad, after she refused his marriage proposal.

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"The Supreme Court has decided to maintain the decision by the high court -- that is the death penalty," Justice Hashim Kakar told the court.

Jaffer tortured Mukadam with a knuckleduster and used the sharp-edged weapon to behead her. Noor Mukadam, who was the daughter of a former ambassador has made repeated attempted to escape from his clutches, but was blocked by two members of Jaffer's household staff.

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Noor was also raped before her murder, and in a court session in 2022, Jaffer had admitted that the murder was premeditated.

Zahir Jaffer's legal team has argued that he was suffering from mental health issues that led to the gruesome crime. Jaffer himself worked at a therapy and wellness centre.

After killing Noor Mukadam, he had called his parents, who had called the psychotherapy centre he worked at, instead of the police.

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Jaffer was convicted of rape and murder in 2022. His parents, Zakir Jaffer and Asmat Adamjee, were found not guilty of attempting to cover up the crime. The two staff members were sentenced to 10 years for abetting murder.

"This is a victory for all the women of Pakistan. It shows that our justice system can deliver justice and should give women more confidence in the legal process," Shafaq Zaidi, a childhood friend of Mukadam told AFP.

“This was our last resort, and it's hard to put into words what this outcome means to us,” she added.

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