Osman Khalid Butt expresses dismay over SC judge's remarks on live-in relationships in Noor Mukadam case
Web Desk
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24 May 2025
Renowned actor Osman Khalid Butt expressed his dismay over remarks made by a Supreme Court judge regarding "live-in relationships" during the hearing of appeals in the Noor Mukadam murder case.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence of Zahir Jaffer, who brutally murdered 27-year-old Noor Mukadam in Islamabad on July 20, 2021. The court reduced his rape sentence from death to life imprisonment and cut his 10-year kidnapping sentence to just one year. The court also upheld the compensation order for Noor’s family.
While welcoming the verdict that affirmed Jaffer’s death sentence for murder, Osman Khalid Butt criticised the judge’s comments, calling them a distraction from the real issue of violence against women.
During the proceedings, one of the judges reportedly remarked that the victim and the accused had a 'live-in relationship,' adding, 'This happens in Europe, not here. It’s against religion and morality.'
"The State should sensitise the youth on the consequences of live-in relationships," Osman quoted the judge as saying.
Reacting to these remarks, Butt turned to X and criticised that while the authorities were urged to take cases of domestic violence and femicide more seriously, a judge chose to focus on the victim’s relationship status rather than the crime itself.
He stressed that such moral scrutiny places women on trial, even in death, and diverts attention from the actual violence inflicted upon them.
"If the so-called ‘consequences’ of live-in relationships warrant State attention, then by that metric, women must also be warned about the consequences of marriage, or of simply being born, since the vast majority of violence against women is perpetrated by their husbands and family members."
An appeal for the courts to protect victims instead of putting them on trial, re: Noor Mukadam:
— Osman Khalid Butt 🇵🇸 (@aClockworkObi) May 23, 2025
There was a stunned silence in the courtroom when SC Justice Ali Baqir Najafi responded to the prosecution’s appeal for the State to take domestic violence and femicide cases…
“Noor was not murdered because she was in a ‘live-in relationship’ or because she willingly went to Zahir’s house. She was murdered because Zahir felt entitled to her life when he could no longer control her,” he added.
Butt also highlighted a disturbing implication, that the court, by focusing on the nature of Noor and Zahir’s relationship, downplayed key aspects of the case.
According to Noor’s legal team, she had repeatedly tried to leave but was forcibly stopped by Zahir and his staff, which consitutes abduction.
Yet, the court concluded that Noor had visited of her own free will, leading to the reduced sentences for the watchman and gardener involved.
He concluded by urging an end to the moral policing of women in domestic violence and femicide cases, emphasising that justice should focus solely on the violence committed, not the victim’s choices or character.
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