Noor Muqadam, Sarah Inam's families plead SC to speed up hearing

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Sunday, the fathers of late Noor Mukadam and Sarah Inam urged the Supreme Court (SC) to ensure speedy trial and timely justice.

Speaking to the media on Sarah Inam's murder, Shaukat Mukadam — father of the late Noor Mukadam — said that Sarah Inam was killed in a very painful way and that he and his wife went to [her parents] house.

Remembering his own daughter's murder, the former ambassador said that he understood what Sarah's family went through, "We knew the pain these people were going through", he said.

We approached the courts for justice but a lengthy trial followed, Noor's father added.

During the trial of Noor Mukadam, it was claimed that it was an open and shut case, and we were told that there would be a fair trial, he added.

Despite the fact that [my daughter's killer] was sentenced to death in February last year, the case went to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and Noor’s killer (Zahir Jaffer) was sentenced to death twice after IHC Chief Justice Amir Farooq sentenced Jaffer to capital punishment and upheld his punishment, said the former ambassador.

"Now my daughter’s case is pending in the SC. It is requested that the SC should hear this case as soon as possible,” Shaukat Mukadam added.

Stressing the significance and need for a message for the supremacy of law, Noor's father accentuated that if such cases lingered on for years then the public would lose their confidence in the system.

Urging the apex court to hear Sarah Inam’s case so that she could get justice the former ambassador said: “These girls wanted to do a lot in the society. 50 per cent of Pakistan’s population is women, it is not like women sit at home. It is not possible that 50 per cent of the country’s population will be left behind.”

Noor Mukadam’s father broke down in tears during the press conference as he was unable to control his emotions while expressing his view before the media. He added that Sara Inam was not safe in her husband’s house.

Meanwhile, Inam-ur-Rahim — Sarah Inam’s father — recalling that it has been a year since his daughter was murdered, said that he had never thought that such an accident would happen [with their family]

“My daughter was an innocent and simple girl who used to see everything at its face value,” he said.

Shedding light on Shahnawaz's — Sarah’s husband accused of her murder — behaviour. He said: “We did not know anything about this family except Ayaz Amir (Shahnawaz’s father). Shahnawaz wanted to extort money from my daughter,” he alleged.

Expressing gratitude to the police for their support throughout the case, Sarah's father said: “The opposing counsel tried hard to prolong the case. Witnesses used to come to the court, but our opposing counsel did not come to the court. I was told that the judge cannot compel the lawyer to come to the court.”

“We request the new SC Chief Justice [Justice Qazi Faez Isa] to deal with our case. The state should become a party against the murderer. Instead of parents, the government should be a party,” he added.

Noor Mukadam, Sarah Inam murder cases

Twenty-seven-year-old Noor was found dead at the residence of the prime suspect, Zahir Jaffer, in Islamabad's upscale Sector F-7/4 on July 20, 2021.

After a first information report (FIR) was registered under Section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) on behalf of Noor's father.

Jaffer was arrested with a murder weapon and bloodstained clothes from the crime scene on the day of the killing.

Earlier this year, the IHC upheld the death sentence awarded to Jaffer.

The court’s decision for the double death sentence came following Jaffer’s crime for Noor’s rape and murder. He earlier received a 25-year imprisonment sentence with hard labour and a fine of Rs0.2 million after the rape was proven.

Saram Inam — a 37-year-old Canadian national and a successful economist who worked with Deloitte and USAID — was murdered by her husband Shahnawaz Amir in September 2022.

In the police report registered following the murder, an additional clause of Section 109 (punishment for abetment) of the Pakistan Penal Code was added at the request of Sarah's uncles — Colonel (retd) Ikram and Zia-ur-Rahim — who have blamed Ayaz Amir and his former wife for their niece's murder.

An Islamabad district and sessions court indicted Amir and his mother Sameena Shah in December last year.