Pakistani-American who beheaded girlfriend has death sentence upheld: ‘victory for women’

Pakistan’s Supreme Court has upheld the death penalty for a man who beheaded his girlfriend in a case that 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 knuckle-duster and using a “sharp-edged weapon” to behead her.

“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, said outside the court on Tuesday.

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

Jaffer, in his early thirties, was convicted of rape and murder in 2022, but his legal team appealed arguing that he was suffering from mental health issues.

Justice Hashim Kakar on Tuesday upheld the death penalty for murder but commuted a death penalty for rape to life imprisonment.