Father Tells Inquest Zara Qairina Would Have Remained in Permanent Coma Had She Survived

KOTA KINABALU, Sept 7 — The father of 13-year-old Zara Qairina told the Coroner’s Court today that a physician informed him his daughter would have remained in a permanent coma had she survived her critical injuries.

Testifying as the 80th witness in the inquest into Zara Qairina’s death, Mahathir Mohd Hashim, 45, said the female physician conveyed the prognosis during a visit to his daughter in the Emergency Unit of Queen Elizabeth Hospital I on July 16 last year.

Mahathir described his daughter’s condition as critical, recalling that she suffered severe injuries including a cerebral haemorrhage, lung and kidney damage, as well as a fractured leg.

“While I was at Zara’s bedside with the other doctors, I noticed that the pillow under her head was soaked with blood. I held her head and kissed her forehead. When I touched the back of her head, I could feel that the upper portion of her neck was soft and appeared to have a depression,” Mahathir said while reading his witness statement before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.

Mahathir further testified that his consent was never sought for a post-mortem examination prior to his daughter being pronounced dead on July 17, 2025. Concluding his testimony, he expressed hope that the inquest proceedings would reach a fair conclusion and requested that his daughter’s name no longer be linked to falsehoods.

Zara Qairina died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17, a day after she was discovered unconscious near a drain at her school hostel in Papar at 4 am. Following orders from the Attorney-General’s Chambers, her body was exhumed for a post-mortem on Aug 8 before a formal inquest was announced on Aug 13. The proceedings are scheduled to resume on Wednesday.

–NMT