I AM compelled to write a few lines after going through some extremely untrue, misogynistic and disturbing stories on the internet concerning Noor Mukadam, our Noor.

I married Noor’s first cousin 17 years back. After Noor came to live in Islamabad some five years ago, not only she became my good friend, but also my teenage daughter’s. She was extremely amiable and had friends from all age groups.

Noor adored animals. On Eidul Azha she would tell her father to make the goat’s rope longer so that it would not feel confined.

Once, while out on some errand with her brother on a hot day, she noticed a stray dog that seemed thirsty. She got out of her car, left the door open, went to a store, bought a water bottle and poured out the water for the dog. She would ask her mother to even spare the house flies. She was exceedingly kind-hearted and a gentle soul who only saw goodness in others and trusted everybody easily.

Her bedroom bookshelf had two copies of the Holy Quran, one with English translation and Tafseer, a copy of The Sealed Nectar, a translation of Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum, another book on Seerat and a book on Islamic history. At her university she was a student of International Relations; not of Islamic Studies. Her interest in religion was personal; not academic.

We also found two diaries; one of them had notes jotted down about Islam, and the other had the 99 names of The Creator beautifully calligraphed individually on separate pages along with their meanings in English.

Noor never had to be reminded about her namaz. She was very conscious about it, carrying a big scarf in her hand bag all the time. She used to tell her mother, “Mama, don’t ask for Jannah; ask for Jannat-ul-Firdous” and “Talk to the Almighty as a friend”. She had rote-learnt Surah Mulk and was doing the same with Surah Yaseen. She had told her friend that she was planning to opt for the hijab soon. She had done three beautiful Quranic Aayaat calligraphy works on canvases. All this I have to say simply to rebut the impressions being generated on the social media by those who don’t know a thing about the person and yet have the temerity to comment on her personal life.

Noor was extremely simple and had empathy for everybody. Just three days before her brutal murder, she visited us for lunch and I remarked that she needed no makeup to appear beautiful; she was so gorgeous. We joked about her being so tall, and how we would have to find a tall guy to be her husband. Her last words to me as we hugged each other for the last time were, “Bhabhi, I didn’t help you at all today, so when you come to my house (on Eid) you just sit and relax, and I will work”.

That was our Noor, helping out her mother during dawats, making the desserts, especially her famous Noor ka meetha with layers of Marie biscuit and home-made chocolate sauce, setting up the table, washing up later, making goodie bags for my children on every Eid, never scolding the servants, never complaining, always smiling, easy to get along with, always ready to share her stuff whether it would be her books, her acrylic paints, her clothes or her slippers.

I am shocked by the audacity of those who have spent time heaping lies on Noor; our Noor. She was never ever in a live-in relationship. She used to live in her own room in her own house with her parents. Those spreading lies about her on this count need to be ashamed of themselves.

For some people, it is a good opportunity to gain popularity. A lady, unknown to the family, had the nerve to hand over her cellphone to a young boy and ask him to take a photograph of the body during the funeral. Thankfully, he was stopped by others.

While Dua was being offered at the gravesite after the burial, a female reporter approached Noor’s father, asking him about the police report; right there in the graveyard, at the gravesite.

Noor, as the family knows, had turned down the accused after he had proposed, and she had pretty good and valid reasons to do that of which we in the family are well aware of. We, the family, sincerely believe our Noor is a Shaheed. She will definitely get justice in the hereafter.

May she get her justice in this world, too.

Madiha Noorani
Taxila

GWADAR LOADSHEDDING: Gwadar is facing acute loadshedding for quite a few days. Due to the loadshedding that lasts for hours — up to 18 hours per day — the plight of the residents is beyond description. When there is no electricity, there is no water supply either. A few days ago, the frustrated residents took out a rally in protest against the ongoing crisis and to attract the attention of the authorities concerned, but the protesters were harshly beaten up and brutalised by police. The provincial government should take immediate and meaningful action on the issue.

Abdul Rahman Shahbeer
Turbat

PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY: The horrifying assault on a woman has once again shaken the country to the core.

In a patriarchal society like ours, such heinous crimes jeopardise women’s participation in socio-economic activities. What we need is a two-pronged strategy; immediate action against the culprits, and restructuring of our social structure.

Junaid Ahmed
Hyderabad

SINGLE NATIONAL CURRICULUM: By helping reduce intellectual disparity in Pakistan in the long run, the Single National Curriculum (SNC) can help the country avoid all the troubles the neighbouring Afghanistan went through over the decades. When different classes associate themselves with different political views and they are not looking to find a collective solution, trouble is what takes place. Having said that, the SNC does have qualitative deficiencies which should be addressed and the curriculum should be compatible with the time we live in. As a nation, we cannot afford any engineered truths anymore.

Noman Ahmad
Mandi Bahauddin

AIRSPACE BAN: All Indian commercial flights should be banned from crossing Pakistan’s airspace till India stops all kinds of subversive and terror-related activities against Pakistan. The decision will not affect Pakistan much as, I think, there are very limited flight operations over Indian airspace.

Raashid Mohsin
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2021