• Islamahad High Court rejects bail plea from Zahir Jaffer’s parents
• Asmat and Zakir Jaffer have been accused of hiding evidence in the Noor Mukadam murder case
• They will stay in jail until trial completed, the court rules

Islamabad High Court on Wednesday issued a detailed judgement after rejecting the bail petitions submitted by Zahir Jaffer’s parents, Zakir Jaffer and Asmat Jaffer, in the Noor Mukadam murder case. The court has said Zakir and Asmat knew their son was holding Noor hostage.

“Asmat and Zakir will stay in jail until the case trial is completed,” Justice Aamer Farooq ruled announcing the short order.

In a detailed judgment issued later, the court also said
that the parents of the main accused did not inform the police despite having
knowledge of the crime. The watchman has clearly stated that he had informed
Zakir Jaffer, the judgement said.

The detailed judgment also refers to the decisions of the
Supreme Court that aiding and abetting murder is as serious a crime as murder.

The ruling states that the rule about the evidence of
‘direct assistance’ in aiding and abetting a crime cannot apply everywhere in
principle.

Aiding and abetting crime can also be indirect, for which there is sufficient factual evidence, the court said.

Citing the Black Law Dictionary, it said non-compliance is
also a crime.

Zahir Jaffer said in a statement that he had informed his
father before the murder.

In the detailed judgment, the court wrote that whether the statement of Zahir Jaffer is admissible or not is to be decided by the trial court. It said Zakir Jaffer spoke to the owner of the Therapy Works after the watchman’s report.

No attempt was made to inform the police even after the
Therapy Works were informed, the court says.

The court said bail may be denied in certain circumstance
even if the offence is bailable especially when there is a possibility that the
accused can influence witnesses or temper with the evidence.

The court said records show that Zahir Jaffar’s parents
tried to hide the evidence and clear the crime scene.

The court has instructed the police to complete the case trial within eight weeks and submit all the evidence in court.

Zahir Jaffer’s parents have been accused of trying to hide the murder to protect their son. At a hearing last week, the court reserved its judgment on their bail plea.

Justice Farooq has remarked that the Noor Mukadam murder trial was going to set precedent for criminal cases in the country.

Zahir Jaffer, suspects to be indicted

Zahir Jaffer is being held at Adiyala jail in Rawalpindi. A court last week set a date to indict Jaffer and 11 others in the murder case. Zahir, his parents, employees and workers of Therapy Works will be formally charged with the crime on October 6.

Earlier, the US embassy sent a package to be delivered to Zahir Jaffer through a courier service. They said that the US embassy had violated diplomatic protocols and returned the package.

It contained books, clothes, and other items, according to jail officials.

Case challan

On September 11, the police presented the case challan in court after multiple delays. It stated that Noor made multiple attempts to escape from the crime scene. “Her life could have been saved had the accomplices acted otherwise.”

The challan revealed that Zahir was in contact with his father, who was in Karachi, over the phone. The latter was aware of Noor’s detention yet he didn’t call the police. Even after Zahir beheaded the 27-year-old woman, his father promised to “help him get out of the situation”.

“You need not worry, I can handle this, I am sending people to rescue you and to dispose of the dead body,” Zahir’s father told him, according to the challan.

It added that Zahir called five Therapy Works’ employees to help him hide the evidence and dispose of the body.

When they tried to enter the room, Zahir attacked them which he termed a “misunderstanding”. During this, a worker Amjad Mehmood was injured and moved to a hospital. The man lied to the hospital and a medical slip was not registered.

According to the challan, Zahir’s parents and Therapy Works’ workers tried to conceal the crime and attempted to destroy the evidence.

Suspects named in the case challan

Zahir Jaffer – prime suspect

Zakir Jaffer – Zahir’s father

Asmat Zakir – Zahir’s mother

Muhammad Iftikhar – Zahir’s employee

Jameel Ahmed – Zahir’s employee

Muhammad Jan – Zahir’s employee

Tahir Zahoor – Therapy Works CEO

Dilip Kumar – Therapy Works employee

Wamik Riaz – Therapy Works employee

Umar Abbas – Therapy Works employee

Abdul Haq – Therapy Works employee

Amjad Mehmood – Therapy Works employee