Zahir’s parents seek reprieve from indictment

-Noor Mukadam murder case

By Uzma Zafar

ISLAMABAD: Zakir Jaffer and Asmat Adamjee, parents of Zahir Jaffer, who is the prime suspect in the Noor Mukadam murder case, approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday seeking annulment of the sessions court’s order to indict 12 suspects in the murder case on Oct 14 (Thursday).
The petitioners are currently incarcerated at the Central Jail, Adiala Road, Rawalpindi. Last week, the sessions court had fixed Oct 14 for the indictment of suspects in Noor’s murder case. The 12 suspects include Zahir Zakir Jaffer, his parents, their three household staff Iftikhar, Jan Muhammad and Jameel and six Therapy Works employees including Tahir Zahoor, Amjad, Dilip Kumar, Abdul Haq, Wamiq and Samar Abbas.
The court had last month set Oct 6 for framing charges in the case, but deferred it after the suspects filed fresh petitions, seeking certain documents along with the copy of the challan. In the petition filed yesterday, Zahir’s parents said they had submitted a plea before the additional sessions judge on Oct 6, seeking copies of the evidence, adding that Adamjee had also filed an additional plea urging the court to allow four weeks’ time for her counsel to prepare for the defence.
“But both the pleas were dismissed by the additional sessions judge in complete disregard of their constitutional and legal right to a fair trial and due process,” the petition added. Zahir’s parents urged the IHC to set aside the Oct 7 orders of the sessions court and order provision of copies of evidence to them.