Noor Mukadam: The light who showed us the way

"Just give me justice…give us justice as soon as possible. Until we are given justice, we will not have peace," said Noor Mukadam’s mother, pleading. I remember her helpless cries, swollen eyes and chapped lips.

My hands tremble as I write this, but my heart is filled with joy today.

I fall short of words as I pen down my emotions and think of the sighs of relief Noor's parents must have breathed when the court’s verdict was announced.

Not only her parents, every woman watching television that day would have felt a huge burden being lifted off her shoulders.

We cried for Noor. We prayed for Noor. Noor was our collective cry for justice.

Personally, I could not sleep for days as I thought about the last few minutes of Noor’s life. How helpless must she have left. How she must have begged to live.

Read more: Zahir Jaffer sentenced to death in Noor Mukadam murder case

I couldn’t help but ask myself why women hide the realities and the ugliness of their relationships from the world. Why do we fear that the world will not understand and only blame us instead?

Even in death, justice can be hard to get. Noor’s trial concluded in four months when in most cases, as a rule, these trials can go on for years.

I have to admit, till the very last minute, I was scared. Scared that Noor’s killer, Zahir Jaffer, will escape punishment. So I waited with bated breath. Then finally it was announced. Justice was served.

Jaffer was sentenced to death, announced the session court judge. Two of his household staff got ten years behind bars for attempting to cover up the crime. Jaffer’s parents were acquitted.

My first reaction to the parents not being found guilty was disturbing, but then I realized that no better justice could be served for them to live and bear the loss of their own son, just as Noor's parents. They will reap what they sowed.

Read more: Noor Mukadam murder — a timeline of events

This decision, just like all other Pakistanis, has restored my faith in the judicial system. The darkness of misogyny has been healed by the light that was Noor.

Noor is the light at the end of the tunnel for many women. May the light of Noor never dim.

Yousaf is a television anchor at Geo News. She tweets @meelumusaf24