Tributes have been paid to a Pakistani woman who grew up in Dublin, who was violently killed in Islamabad earlier this week.
Noor Mukadam (27) was killed in the Pakistani capital in recent days, with local police arresting an individual in connection with the killing.
The woman was the daughter of a former senior Pakistani diplomat, and her family had lived in Ireland for several years when she was a young girl.
Kim Kearns (27), one of her friends, described Noor as a "beautiful" woman, who had "the sweetest heart".
Ms Kearns, Ms Mukadam and another woman, Marilyn Egan, were “the three best friends” growing up, she said.
Noor had attended Our Lady’s Grove primary and secondary school in Goatstown, south Dublin. Ms Kearns said she recalled Noor joining the school when they were in first class.
Her family had lived in Milltown, south Dublin, before they moved to Leopardstown, her friend said. Her father was a diplomat in the embassy in Dublin for several years.
“She had the heart of an angel… If anyone was ever mean to her, she would always be positive, she never retaliated,” Ms Kearns said.
“She liked shopping, we’d go to Dundrum shopping centre, she liked Zara, she was into fashion,” her friend recalled.
“She just fitted in, Ireland was her home,” she said.
When Ms Mukadam was told as a teenager that her family had to move again and leave Ireland she was “heartbroken,” Ms Kearns said.
“We would always keep in touch. If I posted anything on Instagram she would comment on it, saying she was thinking of me, or missing us,” she said.
Both Ms Kearns and Ms Egan said they were devastated by the news of their childhood friend’s death in recent days.
The pair are planning to organise a tribute walk from their old school to a pond on the University College Dublin campus. If Ms Mukadam had remained in Ireland that was where she would have wanted to study in college, Ms Kearns said.
‘Deeply saddened’
Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry, spokesman for the ministry of foreign affairs in Pakistan, said he was “deeply saddened by the murder of the daughter of a senior colleague and former ambassador of Pakistan”.
In a post on Twitter, he extended his “heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family”.
Local media reported the body of the young woman was discovered in a house in the capital city, and that she was known to the suspect arrested over the killing.
In a series of posts on Twitter, Islamabad Police stated they had recovered a knife believed to be involved in the killing, and also seized a firearm.
The police confirmed one individual is in custody and has been remanded by a court. Forensic experts have also collected evidence from the scene, the statement said.
The killing has sparked significant debate about violence towards women on social media in Pakistan, under the hashtag #JusticeForNoor.
