Pakistan Court Upholds Death Penalty for Beheading Case

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the death penalty for a man who beheaded his girlfriend in a case which prompted an explosive reaction from women's rights campaigners. Pakistani-American Zahir Jaffer, the son of a wealthy industrialist, attacked 27-year-old Noor Mukadam at his sprawling Islamabad mansion in 2021 after she refused his marriage proposal -- torturing her with a knuckleduster and using a "sharp-edged weapon" to behead her. He was convicted of rape and murder in 2022 but his legal team appealed arguing that he was suffering from mental health issues. "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 outside the court. "This was our last resort, and it's hard to put into words what this outcome means to us."

Mukadam, the 27-year-old daughter of a former ambassador, had made repeated attempts to escape the night she was killed, but was blocked by two members of Jaffer's household staff. "The Supreme Court has decided to maintain the decision by the high court -- that is the death penalty," Justice Hashim Kakar told the court. In 2022, Jaffer's 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.