ISLAMABAD: The gardener, who was sentenced to jail in Noor Mukadam murder case, challenged his conviction in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday.

The trial court had sentenced gardener Jan Mohammad and security guard Mohammad Iftikhar to 10-year jail for abetting the murder.

The trial court had also sentenced to death the main accused Zahir Jaffer.

The security guard and gardener were convicted for witnessing the cruel treatment of Noor Mukadam by Zahir Jaffer and failing to inform the police.

Advocate Kamran Murtaza filed the appeal of Jan Mohammad against his conviction.

According to the appeal, the convict was a government employee and in order to make ends meet , he was working at Jaffer’s house as a part-time gardener.

It claimed that the trial court convicted him without any tangible evidence.

During the trial, the lawyer representing the domestic staff told the court that they had informed the parents about the presence of Noor and the brawl between her and Zahir Jaffer. The lawyer said since Noor Mukadam was a frequent visitor to Jaffer’s house, the domestic staff did not expect her to be murdered.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2022