Islamabad, November 28, 2025: The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) on Friday strongly condemned what it described as the “misogynistic and irresponsible” remarks made by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi in his additional note attached to the Supreme Court verdict in the Noor Mukadam murder case. The commission said the judge’s observations amounted to blatant victim-blaming and reflected a disturbing mindset within the judiciary.
Justice Najafi, who now serves on the Federal Constitutional Court, issued a seven-page note alongside the Supreme Court judgment dismissing Zahir Jaffer’s appeal against his death sentence. In his note, the judge linked the case to what he called an “increasing trend of unmarried cohabitation”, terming it a “vice” gaining ground among Pakistan’s upper class. He described such “living relationships” as violations of state law and Islamic injunctions, equating them to “a direct revolt against Almighty Allah”.
He urged Pakistan’s youth to reflect on the “horrible consequences” of moral decline and called for greater state intervention in educating young people about cohabitation, drug use and related “societal vices”.
Rejecting these assertions, the NCSW said the judge’s remarks dangerously shifted blame away from the perpetrator and placed unjustified responsibility on women.
“No woman’s choices, real or perceived, can ever justify or explain brutality, murder or any form of gender-based violence,” the commission stated.
The NCSW further noted that the judge’s language contradicted judicial guidance laid down by Supreme Court Justice Ayesha Malik in her landmark ruling, which stresses that victims must be described in sensitive, respectful and unbiased terms. Justice Malik had warned the judiciary to avoid moralising or perpetuating stereotypes that shame or blame women.
“These comments disregard that judicial responsibility and risk undermining public trust,” the commission said, urging judges to uphold constitutional values, maintain impartiality and ensure that courts remain spaces where survivors are treated with dignity.
Noor Mukadam, 27, was brutally murdered in July 2021 at a residence in Islamabad’s Sector F-7/4. The prime suspect, Zahir Jaffer, was arrested from the scene, and Noor’s father later lodged an FIR stating she had been “beheaded after being killed with a sharp weapon”.
In February 2022, an Islamabad district and sessions court sentenced Jaffer to death, along with a 25-year term with hard labour and a fine of Rs200,000. Two domestic staff members, Iftikhar and Jameel, were handed 10-year sentences, while other co-accused, including Jaffer’s parents and several TherapyWorks employees, were acquitted.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) upheld the death sentence in March 2023 and additionally converted Jaffer’s 25-year imprisonment into another death penalty. The verdict was challenged in the Supreme Court in April 2024.
In May 2025, a Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar upheld Jaffer’s death sentence for murder, while converting the death penalty awarded under rape charges into life imprisonment.
Although the Supreme Court ruling reaffirmed Jaffer’s punishment, Justice Najafi’s supplementary note sparked immediate backlash. Critics, including the NCSW, argue that his comments detract from the gravity of the crime, distort the case’s legal context and perpetuate harmful narratives that blame victims rather than perpetrators.
The NCSW urged stronger adherence to constitutional protections and gender-sensitive judicial conduct, warning that personal biases in court judgments risk eroding confidence in the justice system.
