Hearing on Zahir’s plea seeking formation of medical board today

Counsel for suspect says his client suffering from mental disorder

ISLAMABAD:

A trial court in Islamabad will take up on Wednesday (today) a petition seeking to form a medical board to examine the mental condition of Zahir Jaffer, the main suspect in the Noor Muqqadam murder case.

At the last hearing, Sikandar Zulqarnain, the counsel for Jaffer, had taken the plea that his client was a chronic mental patient and was suffering from the schizoaffective disorder due to drugs. He had said that the plaintiff, Shaukat Muqaddam, was a former ambassador and influential and the police deliberately hid the mental condition of his client.

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

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

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

The counsel had demanded of the court to form a medical board to examine Jaffer’s mental condition.

Meanwhile, Additional Sessions Judge Atta Rabbani will also hear a petition filed by the Therapy Works seeking to summon four doctors as witnesses.

The lawyers of Therapy Works have pleaded 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.

Dr Sara, who had carried out a post-mortem of Noor Muqqadam, will also appear before the court as a witness while Assistant Sub-Inspector Zubair Mazhar, who had collected evidence from the crime scene and recorded the statement of the plaintiff, will be cross-examined by the defence counsel.

Prime suspect Zahir Jaffer, co-suspects Zakir Jaffer, watchman Iftikhar and gardener Jan Muhammad will be presented before the court from Adiala jail while other suspects, who are on bail, will appear on the court’s notice.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8^th, 2021.