A court hearing was held yesterday for the Noor Mukaddam case, where prime suspect, Zahir Jaffer, Noor Mukaddam’s father and both the defense and prosecution lawyers all appeared before court. During court proceedings, lawyer of accused Zahir Jaffer, questioned Noor’s father Shaukat Ali Mukaddam in the courtroom about late Noor Mukadam and Zahir Jaffer’s relationship.
As per Dawn, Zahir Jaffer’s lawyer, Saleem asked Noor’s father in the build-up to a question, “Don’t be angry at my next question. You are a [former] ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.Can such a relation exist in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan?” he questioned, referring to Zahir and Noor. In response, Shaukat said both of them were university students.
The question was further brought up despite Asad Jamal, the counsel for Zahir’s mother and co-accused Asma Adamjee, interjecting and requesting that the question be “dropped”.
To which Shaukat’s lawyers, Shah Khawar and Babar Hayat Soomro again objected to the question, where “Soomro said under article 146 of the Qanun-i-Shahadat Order, 1984, scandalous questions could not be asked.”
After the cross-examination was over, Advocate Saleem apologized to Shaukat for his “hard questions”.
The court has adjourned the next hearing for the case till January 20.
