Noor Mukadam murder: ‘A mother’s wounds never heal’

Can a mother ever truly get over the loss of her child? Can her endless pain ever be described in words? Such is the case with the mother of Noor Mukadam, who was brutally murdered in Islamabad's upscale F-7/4 sector, allegedly by her friend Zahir Jaffer, in July.

Despite the passage of several months, the mother of 27-year-old daughter of former Pakistani diplomat Shaukat Mukadam is still in disbelief that Noor is no more and hopes that she would suddenly appear someday.

"I see her walking in the neighbourhood. When a child dies, a mother's heart bleeds in grief. I keep looking for my daughter in my house," she said in an interview with The Express Tribune.

Read more: ‘Noor was kept in captivity for 3 days’

"I still can’t believe that my daughter is no more... I have thoughts that she would suddenly appear someday."

The victim's mother said that she wanted justice for her daughter. "The one who killed my daughter should also be punished and all those who were involved should be brought to book too. I request the government and the court to give us justice as soon as possible. The killers of my daughter should be punished," she added.

The grieving mother said she hasn't been able to sleep since the murder of her daughter. "My daughter was the pride of my home. She used to take care of everyone in the family... she was a very good girl," she said with teary eyes.

Also read: IHC issues notice to Noor's father

"Just give me justice… give us justice as soon as possible. Until we are given justice, we will not have peace," she pleaded.

The grieving mother said that Noor's elder sister and brother are also deeply saddened by her death as she was the youngest and her friendship with everyone in the family was unique.

"Everyone treated her like a child. The elder sister keeps looking for Noor and says, 'Mama, what should I do? I haven't seen her for a very long time'," she said. "We console her, talk to her and recite the Holy Qur'an."

The mother said that Noor's father keeps sitting in front of her room and keeps reciting the Qur'an. "He doesn't even come upstairs [to his room]. You can understand from this whole situation how helpless we are. There is not a single day that we do not remember her and are not filled with grief," she added.

Read: 12 indicted in Noor murder case

She said the incident has broken her entire family from inside and all they can do is pray for their beloved daughter.

"We keep praying because only God knows the state of hearts. Our daughter was a very good girl and prayed five times a day. She used to set an alarm to wake up for Fajr prayers. She loved everyone and was soft-spoken. If she found children playing, she would start playing with them. She would try to show everyone the right path. She was a very good girl."