Zahir Jaffar pleads insanity

ISLAMABAD:

A petition has been filed in the Islamabad trial court seeking to form a medical board to examine the mental condition of Zahir Jaffer, the main suspect in the Noor Muqqadam murder case.

When Additional and Sessions Judge Atta Rabbani resumed hearing in the murder case, Sikandar Zulqarnain Saleem said that his client was a chronic mental patient and was suffering from schizoaffective disorder due to drugs.

He said that the plaintiff, Shaukat Muqaddam, is a former ambassador and influential and the police deliberately hid the mental condition of his client.

The counsel said that Zahir Jaffer was under the influence of the same mental disorder on July 20 when he was arrested.

He said that the suspect’s behaviour in the court testified his medical condition.

The counsel said that Zahir did not also react when he was indicted by the court as he could not comprehend the court proceeding.

He said that the court has witnessed the mental condition of the suspect but despite it, the statements of the witnesses have been recorded in his absence.

He maintained that Zahir was also kept deprived of the right of free trial under Article 10-A.

The counsel demanded the court to form a medical board for the examination of Zahir’s mental condition.

The arguments on the petition will continue at the next hearing on December 8.

Meanwhile, the court approved the prosecution’s plea for summoning Dr Sara, who had carried out the autopsy of the victim, as a witness in the Noor Muqqadam murder case.

The court had reserved the decision after arguments of lawyers of both parties earlier.

Earlier, the suspects’ lawyer Akram Qureshi had argued that the investigation officer committed fraud with the court by not including Dr Sara’s name in the list of witnesses.

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The lawyers of Therapy Works have also filed a petition pleading that three doctors of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Dr Asba Rashid, Dr Tahir and Dr Farah Kamal should be summoned to the court. The doctors had treated the Therapy Works employee Amjad who was injured by the prime suspect Zahir Jaffer.

Zahir Jaffer stayed in the courtroom during the proceeding and remained silent, unlike in the past.

The plaintiff Shaukat Muqqadam and Noor’s sister Sara were also present in the courtroom.

The court recorded statements of three witnesses, Dr Anum, Dr Hammad and Zubair Mazhar.

The cross-examination of Zubair Mazhar will be carried out at the next hearing on December 8.

Witness Dr Hammad informed the court that he collected and sent the samples and also signed the documents.

The DNA sample collector Dr Anum said she collected blood samples of six people, Amjad, Dilip Kumar, Samar Abbas, Abdul Haq, Tahir Zahoor and Wamik Riaz on August 14.

She added that blood samples of Muhammad Iftikhar and Jameel were collected on August 15.

ASI Zuair Mazhar, who seized different items from the crime scene, also recorded his testimony.

Lawyer Akram Qureshi said that he has to often visit Lahore for work but often gets late due to smog.

He pleaded with the court to record the statements while postponing the cross-examination at the next hearing.

The court has also summoned witnesses including Zubair Mazhar and Mudassir at the next hearing.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd, 2021.