Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral for the “kind, loving and unique” dad-of-two who died in a stabbing attack in Washwood Heath.
Zakir Nawaz was remembered by his family as a man whose smile "melted hearts".
Zakir, who was known to friends as “Rex”, had become a father for the second time just 10 days before his life was tragically cut short in an unprovoked attack on Highfield Road just after 10pm.
Despite paramedics’ desperate attempts to save him, Zakir was pronounced dead at the scene. An inquest revealed that he had died from a single stab wound in his chest.
In a statement his family said: “Zakir was a kind, loving and unique person. Words are not enough to describe Zakir but his smile would melt hearts.”
The family added that they hoped that Zakir’s death would teach people that life must be lived to the full.
Zakir was given a traditional funeral including prayers for the dead and floral tributes spelt out his roles in life: “daddy”, “brother” and “son”.
His wife, Georgia, released a statement about her husband in the wake of his death. She said:
“Our family has been left heartbroken as a result of Zakir’s murder. Zak was a loving husband, father, son and brother. I was his queen and Zak was my world.
“Zak was a fantastic father and although I will ensure that our two children know this, it breaks my heart to know that Zak will never get to see our beautiful children grow.
“Zak’s parents, sisters and all who knew and loved him have been left empty. Zak had the ability to make anyone smile even if they were feeling low. He loved his family and we loved him dearly.”
Washwood Heath councillor Mariam Khan said that Zakir’s death should highlight the need for more funding to tackle Birmingham knife crime.
“A young life has been stolen yet again to knife crime which is an awful disease in this city.
“Incidents like these highlight the urgent need for more resources to be invested into working with young people especially on the issues of tackling violent crime.”
A 25-year-old man was arrested and has now been released without charge. Police continue to appeal for witnesses.
