Noor was the brightest and the best among us: Osman Khalid Butt

A demonstration to renew calls for justice for Noor Mukadam was held outside Islamabad Press Club on Wednesday evening.

It saw the likes of Noor’s father, sister and friends, majority of whom have been hyper-active on social media to highlight the brutality against women in Pakistan. Co-organised by Sara Mukadam, Noor’s sister, the demonstration also saw a number of celebrities and Islamabad residents line up in solidarity for the family, a day before Noor’s murder trial was expected to begin.

A video of actor Osman Khalid Butt from the demonstration has since been doing the rounds as well. In this video, Osman can be heard praising Noor’s kindness and humility.

He says, “She [Noor] was exceptionally talented but what struck me most about her was her inherent sense of kindness and goodness. She was pure of heart and beautiful inside out. And everyone present here, everyone who knew her personally or even interacted with her briefly can attest to that. Noor was the brightest and the best among us.”

Noor's father Shaukat Ali Mukadam also addressed the crowd and expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister, Imran Khan, for acknowledging Noor’s case and following through, so justice could be served. "I want all the daughters of Pakistan to remain safe,” Shaukat can be heard saying in a video of him shared on various social media outlets. “May they never see days like these. It has become my mission in life to bring justice to Noor so women in Pakistan can feel safer in and outside of their homes. May they never go through something like this, nor their parents," he concluded.

After the videos surfaced online, actor Adnan Siddiqui, who wasn’t present at the demonstration, also tweeted in support of Noor and her family. He wrote, “The accused boy should be given an exemplary punishment. No girl should go through such brutality, in complete solidarity with Noor’s family. #justicefornoor shall prevail.”

Noor, 27, was found murdered at Zahir Jaffer’s residence in Islamabad's upscale Sector F-7/4 on July 20. Currently, Zahir Jaffer and his parents Zakir and Asmat Jaffer are in custody. According to an interim charge sheet submitted in court on September 9, Police had stated that Zahir’s father is complicit in the murder and had knowledge of the brutal act.

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