NCSW Condemns Judge’s Victim-Blaming Remarks in Noor Case

News Desk 

Islamabad: The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) on Friday strongly criticised Justice Ali Baqar Najafi for what it termed “misogynistic and irresponsible” observations made in his additional note on the Supreme Court ruling in the Noor Mukadam murder case.

The commission said the judge’s remarks amounted to victim-blaming and reflected a troubling mindset within the judicial system.

Justice Najafi — now a member of the Federal Constitutional Court — appended a seven-page note to the apex court’s decision dismissing Zahir Jaffer’s appeal against his death sentence.

In his comments, the judge urged the country’s youth to recognise the “horrible consequences” highlighted by the case, framing it as a tragedy that should motivate social reformers to address what he described as growing moral decay.

He linked the murder to what he claimed was a rise in “unmarried cohabitation” among the upper class, referring to it as a “vice” that violated both state law and Islamic teachings.

Calling such relationships a “direct revolt against “Almighty Allah”,” he suggested the state should more actively educate young people about cohabitation, drug abuse and related risks.

The NCSW, however, said these remarks diverted attention from the real issue — violence inflicted by perpetrators. “No woman’s choices, real or imagined, can justify brutality, murder or any form of gender-based violence,” the commission stated.

It added that Justice Najafi’s rhetoric directly contradicted the judicial principles articulated by Justice Ayesha Malik in her landmark ruling, which stressed that victims must be described using respectful and unbiased language. Her judgment urged judges to avoid moralising, stereotyping or engaging in narratives that shame women.

“These remarks undermine judicial responsibility and risk damaging public confidence in the courts,” the NCSW said, calling on judges to uphold constitutional values, maintain impartiality and ensure courts remain places where survivors are treated with dignity and respect. Justice, the commission emphasized, must be grounded in law and evidence rather than personal opinion or bias.

Case background

Noor Mukadam, 27, was found murdered at a residence in Islamabad’s Sector F-7/4 in July 2021. Police arrested the primary suspect, Zahir Jaffer, at the scene after Noor’s father reported she had been “beheaded after being killed with a sharp weapon” in a crime that shocked the country.

In February 2022, an Islamabad sessions court sentenced Jaffer to death, along with a 25-year prison term with hard labour and a fine of Rs200,000. Two domestic staff members, Iftikhar and Jameel, received 10-year prison terms, while Jaffer’s parents and several TherapyWorks employees were acquitted.

The Islamabad High Court upheld Jaffer’s death sentence in March 2023 and converted his 25-year term into an additional death penalty. His legal team challenged the decision in the Supreme Court in April 2024.

In May 2025, the Supreme Court upheld Jaffer’s death sentence for Noor’s murder but commuted his death sentence under rape charges to life imprisonment, closing one of Pakistan’s most high-profile and closely watched criminal cases.