Celebs demand #JusticeForNoor as Twitter grieves on Eid

No one expected to wake up to another hashtag demanding justice for another innocent woman on Eid but that is precisely what happened in Pakistan yesterday.

Eid-ul-Adha started with many reporting another brutal act of violence against a woman from an affluent background on social media, while questioning the safety of women in Pakistan altogether. On Tuesday, 27-year-old Noor Muqaddam, daughter of the former ambassador to South Korea, was killed in Islamabad by Zahir Zamir Jaffer, son of Zakir Jaffer, whose family were the ex-diplomat's acquaintances. According to the report filed, Noor was slaughtered after being shot at, and now Twitter is fuming with rage.

Several celebrities are also in utter dismay and actor Osman Khalid Butt has assured he will not stop screaming until the family of the victim receives justice.

"It is difficult to celebrate this Eid, knowing the utterly barbaric murder that took one of this city's brightest, best souls from us," he wrote. "If you're reading this, please take a moment to pray for Noor and her family." In another tweet he urged, "Put Zahir Jaffer on the Exit Control List."

Recounting all the cases of violence against women that occured back to back before Noor's murder, Osman shared, "Usman Mirza and his accomplices - multiple cases of extortion, harassment, sexual assault Umar Khalid Memon - torture and murder of his wife, Qurat-ul-Ain M. Raza Ali - torture and murder of his wife Bushra, grave injuries to his children Zahir Jaffer - barbaric murder of Noor Mukadam. Remember these names. Keep asking for accountability, for justice. We must not let our outrage fade. These criminals must be convicted and made to pay for their crimes." He concluded with the hashtags "#JusticeForQuratulain #JusticeforSaima #JusticeForNoor #JusticeforAllWomen."

Singer Meesha Shafi tweeted: “Another day. Another woman brutally killed. Another hashtag. Another trauma. Another (likely) unsolved case. Another trigger. Another fear fest. Another rage roar. Another eid. ‘Protection of women’ bill oppose kernay walon ko mubarik. #JusticeForNoor”

While Mahira Khan shared a thread by Aisha Fayyazi Sarwari to reinstate how Noor's was a case of gender based violence. And in a follow-up tweet she too, added, "#JusticeforSaima #justiceforquratulain #JusticeforNoor #EidMubarak"

Actor Mawra Hocane also lamented on the micro-blogging site, tweeting, "Disturbing news from the capital! We call ourselves civilised? Harassment, rapes, strangling women to death, beheading women.. absolutely barbaric! Extremely, extremely heartbreaking and scary... Sending so much love and prayers to the family..uff!"

Host and actor Faysal Qureshi asked how many murdered women will it take for justice to finally be served. "The hashtags change but the barbarism remains the same. No legal conclusions to date. How many more women will be murdered before justice is finally served? Rest In Peace, Noor Mukadam. We fail yet again to protect our women and children."

Actor Adnan Malik added, "Heartbreaking few days. Beautiful lives lost to brutal, raging masculine aggression. As a man I’d like to ask all my brothers to pause, take some time and introspect. What is the source of this misaligned, pent up rage? How are we as men complicit in supporting rage, violence against women & murder in our society? How can we better support the women in our lives? How can we help each other be more communicative, empathetic & sensitive so the pent up aggression doesn’t turn to violence? And how can we channel our own frustration, anger, and insecurity in a better way? Certainly brutally murdering someone you once loved is not an answer. So many lives are ruined. We, the men, are the problem. And we have to help each other become the solution."

While actor Ali Rehman Khan tweeted, "Still trying to wrap my head around what happened. My thoughts and prayers are with Noor’s family. Barbarians like him cannot be set free. Justice needs to be served. #JusticeForNoor"

Activist, anchor, model and motivational speaker Muniba Mazari also mourned the fact that we live in a "heartless, inhumane and unjust society," where three precious lives were lost at the hands of patriarchy in three days. "This pretty much sums up where we are heading to. We have failed them as a society. Appalled, ashamed and disgusted to the core! #JusticeForNoor #JusticeforSaima #justiceforquratulain"

Singer Jawad Ahmad also chimed in saying, "#JusticeForNoor Noor was shot at and then beheaded by a man. Those who rejected Women Protection Bill, including shameless Imran Khan,are the culprits. When a misogynist PM says that rapes by non robotic men are a result of dresses women wear, these incidents are bound to increase."

Actor Zahid Ahmed questioned, "Three days - Three horrifying injustices. What is it that we’re doing wrong? Where do we make the changes? #JusticeForNoor #JusticeforSaima #justiceforquratulain."

Whereas Sami Khan simply requested the relevant authorities to do something before it is too late.

Entrepreneur, activist, talkshow host, executive producer and the founder of Soul Sisters Pakistan, Kanwal Ahmed pointed out how it "doesn’t matter if you’re in the most prestigious areas of Islamabad or in the presumed safety of your home in Hyderabad. If you’re a woman in Pakistan you’re almost ALWAYS at risk of violence at the hands of men."

While Mehreen Zahra-Malik, former Reuters correspondent and current reporter, editor of The New York Times, Guardian, Washington Post and BBC, shared the police report registered late on Tuesday against Zahir Jaffer under Section 302 (premeditated murder) of #Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of the victim's father.

She shared, "In his complaint, Shaukat Mukadam says he went to Rawalpindi on July 19 to buy a goat for #EidAlAdha while his wife had gone to her tailor. When he returned home in the evening, the couple found their daughter, Noor, absent from their house in Islamabad. Noor’s parents found her cellphone number to be switched off, and started a search for her. Sometime later, Noor called her parents to inform them that she was travelling to Lahore with some friends and would return in a day or two. On Tuesday afternoon, the complainant Noor’s father said he received a call from Zahir Zamir Jaffer, son of Zakir Jaffer, whose family were the ex-diplomat's acquaintances. Zahir informed Mukadam that Noor was not with him."

The report added that around 10pm on Tuesday, Noor’s father received a call from Kohsar police station in Islamabad, informing him about Noor's murder. Following this, the police took Noor’s father to Zahir’s house in Sector F-7/4 where he discovered that his "daughter has been brutally murdered with a sharp-edged weapon and beheaded."

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