Zahir's lawyer files application against IG Islamabad

Prays IG, other officials be directed to perform their duties and let court proceed with case in legal manner

ISLAMABAD:

The counsel for Zahir Jaffer - prime accused in the Noor Mukadam murder trial - on Wednesday filed an application against the Inspector General of Islamabad Ahsan Younas.

According to the application filed by Zahir’s counsel, Sikandar Zulqarnain, IGP Younas, alongside DIG operations, chief prosecutor and the investigating officer (IO) held “a press conference in front of [the] media and attempted to give an impression that court proceedings are conducted wrong and need clarification”.

It further alleged the IG, along with other officials, was present outside the court during the cross-examination of IO Abdul Sattar.

It maintained that public office holders are “creating hype” instead of performing their “lawful duties” and that they were attempting to “influence” the proceedings of the court.

The petition prayed that the IG and other officials should be directed to perform their duties and let the court proceed with the case in a legal manner.

Earlier, a trial court judge expressed his displeasure after the counsel for an accused in the Noor Mukadam case told the court that the Islamabad police have issued an explanatory press release over the court proceedings involving the cross-examination of the investigation officer.

Murder scene sitemap

A second petition filed by Zahir's counsel stated that the sitemap of the murder scene presented by the IO was “fabricated” and “wrong”.

Read Last witness records testimony in Noor murder case

The application stated that the IO did not mention all exit points of the “alleged place of occurrence” and that he “concealed” the green belt in his site plan.

It requested the court to “personally” visit the site and prepare a memorandum in this regard.

It further asked the court to proceed against the IO under charges of “purgery and deposing false before the court on oath”.

Confirmation of phone number

A third application moved by the counsel requested the cross-examination of a phone number submitted by Noor Mukadam’s father, Shaukat Mukadam, which he claimed was his wife’s number.

“The cell number mentioned neither belongs to the complainant [Shaukat] nor his wife but belongs to one Tasneem Jasnak, with whom the complainant and deceased of this case was [sic] in contact continuously,” the application read, adding that the information should be available on record of the case.

Shaukat Mukadam’s claim was dubbed “doubtful” as his wife – the mother of Noor Mukadam – had never joined the investigation and was not “floated as a witness”.