Papar:The notebooks of the late Zara Qairina Mahathir, described as her 'diaries', contained personal writings about friendships and experiences rather than traditional daily entries, according to her mother at an inquest.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Noraidah Lamat, 46, revealed that her daughter started writing in multiple notebooks around 2021, encouraged by a Malay language teacher at Sekolah Kebangsaan Pantai, Sipitang, to improve her handwriting. Each notebook was associated with a particular friend, and the contents were mainly about her friendships and peer experiences. Zara sometimes shared these notebooks with friends, allowing them to leave messages.

Noraidah also testified that Zara had complained several times of bullying and harassment while staying at the hostel of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (SMKA) Tun Datu Mustapha, Papar. Zara mentioned incidents during phone calls or visits home, including unpleasant treatment by senior students who had labeled her with derogatory terms.

Despite these issues, Noraidah stated that Zara never appeared distressed before the incident. During her last visit home on July 13, 2025, Zara seemed cheerful and normal, and they discussed the harassment and her return preparations. The last time Noraidah saw her daughter was when she took her back to the hostel. She received a call from Zara at 8.53 pm on July 14, 2025.

In the early hours of July 16, a teacher called Noraidah to inform her that Zara had been found unconscious and taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1. This news left her shocked and distraught. School teachers who visited did not disclose what had happened, and one even advised against publicizing the incident. Noraidah was unaware of an internal investigation by the school until the inquest proceedings.

Zara Qairina died on July 17, 2025, at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, a day after being found near a drain at her school hostel. Concluding her statement, Noraidah expressed her deep affection for her only child.