faiz aur hafiz

.... the night had passed and reached  early hours  ,  during hind and pak  mustard hafiz jallandhari got up to recite his  poetry  it was his turn but  other poets were tired, faiz Ahmed  shouted from amidst the audience  to keep it small 

Hafiz was annoyed,  outrageous it was how could faiz Ahmed  cut him short,  hafiz remarked  his nazms were not  small like faiz s one liners

Firaq gorakhpuri intervened  in time  to stop the heated argument  between the  reputed poets by saying that that one liner by hafiz was  enough and the mushaira was over 

page 253

....do you manage your accounts in your own income?

No, not at all,  my accounts are completely dependent on loans and income of others 

.

Don't you think  Mrs bakrat is a little  self centered?

A little? More than  normal  she sends  her congratulations and compliments on her own birthday to her mother 

.

Yunus sahib  had a habit of borrowing things from neighbors,  one morning he reached his neighbor and  asked if the neighbor was going in his car somewhere that day 

Neighbor catching his point emphasized  of course  the car was to be with him all day,  he needed it to  visit several places 

That's so cool,  I.ll need your  bike  actually  yunus  said with satisfaction 

.

A man got his daughter married  and within a week he was pouring out his  tales of woe against his son in law  who didn't know how to drink and  didn't know  how to gamble 

The amazed friend remarked  but that was a blessing not a problem,  

The poor father explained he drank but didn't know how to, gambled but didn't know how to play 

page 67

...she recalled all the   mysterious stories  read during her childhood,  tge golden handle hanging at the main entrance  gave her some  satisfaction,  in the vintage English movies  it was  banged against the door to announce one's arrival,  she  also   hit the  bolt  on the wooden door,  on the third count the door was opened 

This is manahal   daughter of memnu  come to see you,  explained Fatima  Maryam standing by the study table   and he was listening   staring at an invisible point  before him into  the space 

Usher her to the guest room downstairs and   take care of  her , ask her what she likes to eat,  extend hospitality  serve her tea coffee hot chocolate,  he had  broken his silence  after a long  time 

But I ve already  given all these instructions  , she arrived over an hour ago,  Fatima Maryam  said  with her arms folded 

He nodded and turned to look at Fatima  what next 

Manahal wants to see you 

What will she do  by seeing me,  he asked blandly,  why does she want to see me 

See her  sahib she is memnu  s girl  once more Fatima reminded him 

He picked up the newspaper kept in front of him  but isn't she also someone  else's girl too or have you forgotten 

Nothing forgotten  but what  is her mistake in that,  saying this Fatima  had to  harden her heart,  but who else is her relative besides you,  God knows  how much she expects to see you how much she loves you 

Don't try to  trick me into such emotional matters Maryam,  a  knock on the door  made him look towards there  , Maryam  turned to press the door handle,  she stood there 

page 63

....she opened the lid of the jar and offered  the jar to sayyad,  memnu mama had made it  who was an expert in baking,  in a  small oven,  extending her arms a little bit she showed the size,  it used to be always there even when they were gone to boarding schools  , they still had the oven from which came those cookies  , speciality  mama learnt from  the governess  what was her name   ...oh , yes, Fatima Maryam,  just look at their shape,  keep them all together  and they present a zoo,  they used small frames to produce all the cookies 

Oh manahal  you talk so much  mahin said annoyed,  who bores their first time visitors giving all  the details 

Please ma,m let her speak don't stop her,  in our house  she is openly talked about for her chattering and how interesting her chatterings are, sipping his coffee commented  sayyad, he watched admiration stricken at manahal,  he added  the coffee was excellent  the second ever of his life 

And where was the first excellent coffee you tasted asked manahal disappointed 

That is sold in Islamabad  in my favorite coffee shop,  sometime I ll take you there  

Disappointment spread  over her face,  ever since they had come to live there they were kind of got locked  up inside  but before coming down they lived in Islamabad,  her face lit up, she still remembers  though she was very small then

from previous

..asghar and she eloped to get married,  both their families since  didn't forgive them,   mistakes done unwittingly in their youth   regretting at leisure  the child's father returned to his family  , the son born to them was merely one year old then,  sudden death of a brother in the  family   was  an excellent excuse to go back and  take control of the entire family business and even got married to  the  widow, the eloped wife and son were  given up for ever , this was her son's life history 

His life was bitter he realized  unwanted  by father  and his family  he had to accept himself first for being what he was,  he passed his matric and joined a college  where he met zahid and both became good friends,  he too was a poor  boy from poor family like himself,  both  would frequently watch others enjoying themselves and  felt depressed for their own financial reasons,  they felt   inferior  , choosing FSC was a mistake because  the subjects were quite difficult beyond their expectations and comprehension,  so both failed with the lowest points,  finding a government job  with matric  was impossible,  doing  small jobs they came to a decision  they must change their life conditions  and for that they had to cross their path,, both became robbers, in the beginning  they entered empty houses to pick up things,  zahid was an expert lock breaker , he had mastered this skill from another experienced  master locker breaker, their  first two  attempts of robberies were a success and they collected in thousands,  easy money big money  their first ever,  third time zahid  on knife point  extracted  money from a man  completely emptying his pockets,  they  frequently  picked pockets of strangers 

downtown

ustaad

...the first lesson  looked the Mauldin seriously at them both,  zahid  not apparently paying much attention  the other  fully focused  listened..never ever  trust a criminal  whether hardcore or beginner 

Was there any difference between  the types of criminals  asked zahid scornfully

The Mauldin sahib  glared at him, the other  dug his elbow  into his ribs that hurt him  and doubling with pain a dirty abuse escaped from his lips 

Zahud was stubborn   his bad habits known to his friends 

Of course  there was  a classic difference between  the new criminal  who  could sometimes   give in to his feelings of kindness,  the hardcore never showed sympathy and was ruthless  , devoid of all human sentiments,  Mauldin sahib  like  a sage  explained   his  point,  both students  nodded  , maulvi sahib was a most interesting character,  he was the only one in the jail  with whom the two of them got along,  both were  imprisoned for three years  and  the maulvi sahib  was  spending his nineth year, his real name was   replaced by the title maulvi by the other two inmates  because of his long beard , he was regular five times a day  namaz  practitioner,  unlike other prisoners he didn't spend time  humiliating others but kept  to himself,  when these two  entered the prison  maulvi  s solitude  was removed,  one would listen to him attentively  and the other zahid couldn't escape and had no other option 

big thinking of big people

...impossible is to  free them from their shackles who adorned them proudly 

.

..every man till he breathes his last  believes  stubbornly death is  something that happens to only others 

.

Huge buildings collapse when the bricks loose contact of cement bonding  with each other 

.

Intellect in woman is that  attribute  which in it's absence itself is an attribute 

.

Bathing  keeps many problems  away but  not Bathing also is effective to keep  the unwanted away 

.

Two fools together can't  make a wise person , they can make a perfect married couple 

page 229

...napoleon was defeated  and Willington  in the  battlefield  taunted him sarcastically  the English  fight for respect  and napoleon for wealth 

Napoleon retaliated  of course  wars were fought  for what one lacked 

page 61

....for  past one hour she held the calculator  in her hands  doing  accounting  and  making budget  of the month  very busy , manahal sat before her as usual busy over her phone gossiping,  

The problem with the Pakistanis is they have to use their fingertips also after calculations are done on the calculator said manahal  without  taking away her eyes from the  phone  and  mahin who was calculating on her fingers stopped in the  middle 

Manahal launched  pointing out mahin what was she doing  if she didn't  trust the  calculator why use it in the first place 

Mahin  without bothering to make a reply gave her head a jerk before carrying on with her calculations 

It was like  getting the  money from an ATM and then counting it

Perhaps the machine  added or missed out on  a five hundred rupees note

ATM, mahin just realized startled  the other day her card got blocked and the bank had called her to collect her card

Then you must get it today 

Mahin recalled  the young man with  the mention of her ATM card who had walked with her down the past memory lane nostalgically when she had returned  to her native land with  hopes , when she was for the second time thrown out of her parents home,  then how she used to live in fear and how she managed to restore her life practically from those scary looming shadows 

page 218

....hashya focused on driving after talking about the novel  with wasim , she had given him some  consolation,  yesterday she had spoken to  Karachi channel content head madam zarina  on phone  , zarina had shown her unawareness  on the matter because now they were not working on   Dara as and the ones playing on their channel were  not theirs but obtained from  sub channel,   because the madam wasn't  giving any details  and the phone was shut down  hashya contacted the publisher who readily share inside  information,  naved shah t v writer   was discussed  but the galaxy channel was not active anymore, Farhan production was assistingthem,  a new serial bhed was m progress  remake of raz, writer named was  depending on it, gaffer Qasim instructed  hashya not to  mention his name  and keep it to herself,  hashya  decided to pursue the  matter and  found  a sub office of Farhan production  was  working in Lahore  where responsible staff was present  now she was headed towards the sub office 

She stopped her car at a porch in a wonderful building by the  river side,  she had already spoken over the phone to someone  so she directly walked inside,  though she was made to wait a while  before a well-built  bald man dressed in Western  style  trousers and shirt appeared  

page 59

...the children tabanda sent for tuitions were quite weak in studies,  their memory was very poor  and they had  much problems learning things,  mahin had to spend more time   with them,  these were  government schools students  and  lived in nearby villages 

It's unimaginable how you manage to spend so much time with such children when it's impossible to be with them  even for half hour,  Manahal found them quite nuisance,  not liking their dirty worn out clothes,  it seems as if they haven't changed clothes for months,  they were filthy and  stinking,  why don't you ask them if they ever had a bath 

Mahin would hush up manahal  feeling  hurt herself for the innocent children 

One of the bolder of the lot loudly would  speak up to Manahal explaining the condition  of water that the rivers were frozen during winters,  no taps at home  , mother and sister  get water for the kitchen from the neighborhood 

Manahal argued why don't the women also get more water for their bath and  washing the clothes  but the problem was that people like them don't like to stay neat and clean  , their habits were  wrong Manahal just  hated them 

Ok drop this topic now tell us what do your fathers do  One day  mahin intervened  to stop  a fierce argument between Manahal and a student 

The student explained his father  gathered tobacco leaves and sold its powder tea 

Manahal mockingly said it was snuff stuff not tea

page 185

Shamla and gulbaz reached home sometime later, amma was  preparing to take milk from the cows and  goats  ,shamla  dumped the green tender branches before the goats and then sat down with amma to help her  get the milk, the cattle  sged was next to the house they lived in, she  was when free from the  goats shah Faraz  arrived , coincidentally sgahbaz her elder brother was not home  but her abba  afzal khan was home,  shah faraz greeted them all before inviting them to his sister's wedding  specially  his sister Zaino s wish was to send shamla  a day before 

Abba and amma agreed to send shamla to attend the wedding at sangur, shah faraz sat a while to leave  as the  dusky shadows lengthened to spread out

Next day shamla  s elder brother shahbaz  created a scene  , abba wasn't home,  shahbaz first refused to go to  sangur  , he was  absolutely against shamla going to sangur,  his demeanor was severe  and objected  strongly that shamla  reached the wedding  function ahead  by one day 

Ma protested weakly,  she  raised her voice  gently asking dear son what made him object to it when  Zaino and shah faraz were  close to them,  that was amma  s brother's family,  besides zainu and shamla were soul mates 

page 57

...mahin looked at him questioningly

He lifted his head heavenwards as if  waiting for the right words  

, inspiration descended on him and he coughed  to clear his throat to complete his statement it was  as if a child had  obtained  his  favorite desired  toy, hesitantly her  looked at her,  wasn't she  aware of children's  demands he quickly added his explanation  the next moment,   raising his hand  to articulate his point   he expressed  the similarities of his desires, so interesting it was,  mahin queerly peered at him,  had he come to  take a stroll or go sightseeing 

Surprised he shook his head  no it wasn't so, he was  a local 

A native? Now it was her turn to look Surprised  for in as many years she had never  set eyes on him 

His abba got transferred to dera  gazing khan,  the whole family went with him,  abba then sent him away to study  in swabi where be got admission 

G I k I?

Abba got a house built  during his service  and after retirement came back to settle here 

He had just  recently  completed his internship  in multan 

page 55

...mahin  belonged to a most respected family,  she gets married to her tai s son  for love when she was  a student,  for this  unacceptable crime her parents  cut off their ties with her, ,her husband dies, she is forced to lead  a  life full of hardships  with her daughter,  during  her holidays she goes shopping in the valley,  herATM card gets blocked,  her heavy baggage  is difficult to manage and a young man offers to help her, 

He laughed at mahin for gaping at him in sheer surprise,  he trues to make her feel  better,  embarrassed she starts walking away,  he follows her introducing himself as being    a senior class student  where she had joined as a junior  class teacher, his name was Yusuf  sayyad, he reminded her it was her first day at school  , during the  break she was sitting with social studies teacher mem khan  when he happened to spot her for first time 

Mahin s pace increased  with it for it was a long time ago  event, he described her she was clad in navy blue  shirt and gray trousers,  now her step faltered,  she turned to look at him he grinned delightfully,  he added that wasn't all  there was more  of her he remembered  , no need for her to be so surprised,  she said she didn't remember him as her student  in the junior school,  since then she was  teaching in  the same  junior section  , how was it possible he could know  so much about her,  she kept on walking  on the  rough  road up and and down   in the valley,  he laughed again,   he had  taken one lesson from her,  she scowled  it was impossible 

He explained it was  an hour long lecture  , he completed his  statement  by saying it was their sports  hour  and the sports teacher that day was  on leave,  her period was free,  she was  in the  ground   relaxing  in the sun on a bench,  she was sent for by the house master,  zulfar was their class prefect  , sge shook her head denying it because she had no interest and knowledge of sports 

page 183

.... dusk had descended in the valley,  shamla was  coming down the  hill slope carrying  a bundle on her back  tender green branches  of chest nuts  , her ten year old brother  gulbaz was walking ahead her some  feet away,  he too was  carrying  a big bundle of the green tender branches,  the branches were covered with green leaves  that were the favorite feed of their goats,  extra branches were thrown on the roof  left to sun dry  fir fuel 

As Shamla and  her brother  reached the   lowest  point the sun went up to it's highest,  they lived in gatal  locality  surrounded from all sides by  high hills and mountains  on whose  slopes grew  evergreen trees of pine cedar and  chestnut in abundance 

Both shamla and her brother  every other day climbed up the hill to cut down  greens for their goats and fuel, she was sixteen  and a tribal  and very attractive,  now Both had reached the  locality  walking on the narrow gravel  by the sid of the river  leading to their cottage,  suddenly she stopped,  someone had called her by her name, she turned to look before she was stunned,  her eyes hesitant and rather bashful  a wave of shade  passed away,  a silky feeling   sped up her heart beat,  there stood shah faraz 

page 53

....it was her habit that she couldn't share her thoughts  , this was so  again  the case,  the fever that gripped her  lasted weeks,  abbu  declared   there was no need to  do the job anymore, ammi wasn't scolding  and sisters not teasing  and she absolutely silent,  she  tried to   play it down but the smell of cologne and  unsaid statements   numbed her, she sat in the sun sad  when amir came to sit by her side to see the reports, he had  given her resignation he told her,  without looking at him she nodded  it was the best thing to do,  he enquired after her condition, she was grateful almighty had saved her  and this time she lifted her head up to speak directly looking into his eyes,  he silently nodded 

Before the spring  their Nika was fixed without  engagement, phuphu  became very loving, all were satisfied,  she also managed to  take control of herself  , she had cut off  contacting her friends  though,  because she was strong emotionally kept herself balanced and normal,  the decision of the family proved beneficial,   dreams were high and she stayed  engrossed in visions of homemaking losing the sense of time  ,she and amir discussed each and every matter  except that cold evening 

page 156

....  friend  what a terrible thing has happened with that nice girl,  first her brother now her mother too, she is all alone in this world without a relative  or does she have any asked saifan turning his side on the chair 

No relatives I know of, neighbors are taking care of things,  she is a list soul  

Did she give her statement  of any type,  what had happened that her brother committed suicide 

I did go to her but she kept on repeating  there was no problem at home,  they couldn't even have a clue to what extent  natural was thinking of  leaving them,  he was so normal  but  rather  serious  and they thought  it was  his approaching exams turned him serious  and  that's why he was spending so much time in his closed room  , he wanted to become a chartered accountant    and that called for  honest hardwork 

Your  police nose didn't smell anything  suspicious  was with the matter 

Police also needs  clues to get any further, his postmortem report says nothing,  no evidence  no leads 

What about the phone calls, 

There wasn't any phone found in his  stuff

Alina also confirmed the phone was with him and shut off  long before he  was dead 

page 154

....the night had passed,  the winter moon was  sinking down, the whole scenery was enveloped in  foggy sheet,  that was  spreading  everywhere every moment,  the boys who were  sitting around had left, he was now all alone  watching  her  feeling  empathy for her unrest,   restlessly she would open the gate  to lock outside before  shutting the gates to go back,  it was very clear she was  stressed,  her  dearer than life her brother was gone missing   without a clue,  azghar had told  him she had filed a police report  ,  perhaps she was  given  hope  he would be found and brought back home, that's why she was restlessly  taking frequent rounds up to the gate 

He wished he could do something for her,  be of help to her, at least  he could share her sorrow  but he had never before  even lifted his eyes before her,  he  couldn't speak up before her, all that he could do was  pray for her  and that he was doing  for her happiness,  sighing  deeply he lifted his head to see  the Crack of dawn  in a corner of the sky was sprouting light rays,  he got up  tiredly to drag his feet  to reach his house  just round the corner 

It was already  morning sunshine  buzzing with  life,  she sat  on ammi s cot frame  vacantly  looking at the clock,  with  the ticking  sound her hopes dying out, completely hopeless now she was preparing herself  mentally to receive the bad news  when   a soft knock  of a finger on the gate  drew her attention  , she felt a strong silent storm waited her to open the gate   pushing past her to enter the house,  helplessly she had to get up on the second knock 

page 52

...ariba was intelligent,  shrewd to  judge people, she felt  sajadil s admiring eyes  searching her ,she became aware of him,she had never  stored  any other image,  his eyes  praised her  and gave her  different projects, she too  sincerely loved working  on the projects, ambitious as she  was  sky was the limit,  ,she was doing her best to prove herself  , unstoppable  and carefree, this time she was working on  a theme  on marriage of women's choice, she had to present a documentary film on the same, she had to go to the specific area to gather information   and survey  before making notes and write in detail  with her own personal  views,  her days and nights were  all keeping her extremely busy in her project,she would listen to the stories of women in the area and would break into tears, how  helpless woman is, religion allows woman to choose  someone of her choice,   she had included  religion  to add more weight, it was her last  day  on her project 

She lifted her head up to find the office was  vacant,  nobody was in the cabin, the peon was turning the lights off 

She spoke to him if she could hand the file  over to sajadil, then she could also go home, sajadil  s room was situated upstairs,  she began climbing the stairs  turning the file pages  looking at them,  his room was  there  and the corridor  dimly lit, perhaps sur had already left she thought and quickly  stepped forward and gently  touched the door 

taar e ankabut

...the night was chill and dark,  mist and fog had covered the entire surroundings,  the last train had left the station,  leaving behind the  crowded township  passing through   vast open space, the driver pulled on his  gloves  and glanced out of the windshield, the  flashlight on the forehead of the engine  was casting a stream of light  showing the way cutting through the  thick layers of fog,he felt going through a tunnel  of light 

The speed of the train was gradually increasing,  within minutes they were to cross the outskirts of the township, he was still looking out  and was startled, he saw  a body laid up on the  track at the end of the light , frightened he began  blowing the whistle, he pulled the throttle back and  pressed the full brakes, the train was ten bogies  long  impossible to stop instantly 

page 120

...doctor ali discharged her in the evening  and she shifted  from the hospital to her home, she was quite scared to take this step, all that had happened  with her it was impossible for her to ever trust blindly any stranger again,  she had no other place to go to, it was probable  future held more   challenges  but for now this was the only choice 

He commented his observation was  that she was  frightened and if it was because of him she could relax, she was quite safe with him as they sat down in the car 

She was certain of it but  she  was worried  because of her they all were to  get  bothered she made up an instant excuse 

He suggested she must stop thinking on this matter in fact  his expert advice was to think nothing at all  and stay  stress free  ,it was  imperative for her health, he smiled and  the car  slowly  drove off

His house was rather away from the hospital, she thought it took them half hour to reach there, her heart thumped crazily  all through the drive, her life was  showing her  odd happenings  in a quick  series  and she found it very hard to  believe anything  good, in that short time she lived a long life, her experiences  had stolen her complete faith  from her heart,  worries and   and fears  embraced her 

supper on Sunday and my laces

page 51

...during those days  a girl was murdered by her boyfriend,  on  social  level it became a huge  event  and posed a big question mark on national security,  in many other countries what not happens  but it is not given any media coverage  but here  domestic matters that can be easily solved by the elders is brought to the streets   by the so called  n g os raising  voice   to run their business 

Ariba also joined the rally marching shouting slogans  lighting up candles and torches, writing posters,  channels and newspapers  highlighted the hot topic ,Farhan and Sajadil were actively participating 

On women's day such topics  are   debated upon,  banners are made, women  air their opinions  on how much harassment and suffering they go through,  speeches are prepared in advance, sajadil was  lecturing but his eyes were glued on ariba whose Grey etes screwed up, her plaited  braid  hung on her side , there was definitely something in her that made her stand out from other girls 

page 110

...the big long car was headed towards her at great speed, she became aware of it at the last moment  and she had by then rushed to the middle of the road, all her focus was  concentrated  towards amjad holding revolver  that could instantly anytime  put a full stop to her life and it was then  a screaming horn and flashing headlights of a car  drew her attention,  she   turned to see her death approach and  stood stunned waiting for it, the driver  did his best to avoid the direct hit but the brakes  skidded  to a halt not before hitting her throwing her up in the air, what an awful experience it was 

She felt no pain  falling down with a bang on the ground  , just  scared  and  odd sensation  enveloped her,  she saw the car come to a stop and someone got down to   rush towards her,  the voice concerned asked if she was alright,  she   tried to focus her gaze on the person  but she fainted  before  she could see who was it, the  road,  that apparition  the whole scene and surroundings  faded away  and disappeared 

aurat march

....what kind of practice it is

 Girls are well  raised  given good education and given all facilities  ,they are sent to college and universities  but when it comes to taking the most important decisions in life  her wings are clipped off, her freedom of choice  taken away,   like  a lifeline is snipped off, a kite flying high in the skies is suddenly   pulled back and its  string cut off 

She paused to take a breath and looked around, there wasn't any reaction nor expression  just  stony faces and  blank eyes 

The two younger sisters got themselves busy in their homework  as elder ones were images of patience 

So they weren't even aware of what injustice was done to them,  she was surprised 

page 17

....when a  newly arrived family in the neighborhood  moved in to a rented house abba ji  became friends with the widower  like himself  who  had also lost his wife, both were retired pensioners, he had three sons and two daughters, all the five of them were married off,recently he too got  married to a woman  whose only condition was she would live separately from hus sons,  the house belonged to him where he lived with his youngest and middle sons  and their families  but because of his newly wedded wife  he had moved into abba ji  s neighborhood in a rented house  to live separately from his family, abba ji heard him and commented it was a mistake to leave his house and sonsto live in rented house 

The new neighbor explained he was helpless  like a piece of furniture, one of the daughters in law was a doctor and son a banker,the other son and his wife both were teachers in the university,  one of the portions of the house was occupied by the middle son the other side was with the youngest, abba ji was dumped in the annexe, he had no control or command, food was given him there and he couldn't mix with them all, he  had raised them with his sweat and blood  but his condition was pathetic in his own house, the eldest lived in America  and got married to a white woman, one daughter was Australian citizen  second lived in the u k, and he  remained  left forgotten in the annexe alone 

page 90

...on emergency  situations he was posted at shallot shekhopura police station, it wasn't  routine  posting,  he was to investigate a murder case  in which the murdered was the station incharge,  it was November  harsh cold  morning  when station incharge faiz was found  dead in his  adjoining  government quarters,  he was known to him personally,  faiz was a fearless  dutibound  officer,  not bowing  or breaking  before anyone for  power or money,   death is a reality  and  certainty  for each and every living soul, every one is a mortal  and born to  finally return   yet  some people are so complicated they leave behind them  a trail 9f unsolved mysteries, faiz sahib s case was also  surrounded with lots of unanswered questions, had it  been a normal case  the writer investigator would not be sent there 

aulad aur daulat

...it is said  progeny is gotten by the man s luck and wealth from  women's  fortune  but the odd thing is if wealth is lacking woman  turns away and a childless woman  s husband turns to another woman 

.

.

Patient to his doctor 

When my wife speaks I can't hear a word of what she says 

Doctor. It's a blessing from almighty not a sickness 

.

.

Husband. I have heard woman usually speaks 3000 topics but man only 1000

Wife. Absolutely true,  woman has to repeat herself several times to get her point across  idiots 

Husband. What exactly do you want to say 

Wife. See if it is not repeated again you won't catch the point 

page 29

....what excuse will you give  asked Kate,  my friend is sick and in the hospital  though  I hate lying  said Parker

We must do our best 

Not the best  added Parker looking into  nomi s intoxicating eyes but believe it

Absolutely  We shall do the  best  it's a guarantee 

Fine,  Parker took off his jacket,  what's the plan 

Nomi briefed him, as she explained she  closely watched his expressions trying to read how much satisfied he was 

Very soon the mayor's speech will be on air finally said nomi , the shooter will be requested and  given the  amount  hopefully the shooter will  contact them, this way  Kage  said  jerry bakers team with the help of tracker reach the spot,  Parker  glanced affirmatively before  his  gaze glued to the computer monitor where the gravedigger  s associates  were  highlighted,  they had to work together in a private room,  nomi  agreed  thoughtfully 

from previous

...abba ji  turned   silent  with his room    drowned in  soulful sorrows,  he began spending more of his time in the masjid, after returning home he remained  silent   or  held his tasbih telling the beads or recited  the Koran,  he   ate less and his appetite decreased,  he mixed no more with his children and daughters and sons  and other family members,  he spoke   little just  enough to convey the minimum 

abba ji

...abba ji was left  alone,   otherwise all was well,  son daughter in law and their three girls  and  his three daughters  married and sons in law  their children  but  abba ji was left alone amidst a huge  family because his life companion was gone,  minor little problems surrounded her but   none  was so deadly or sudden to  lead her to her death bed, unexpected vacuum  is shocking,  every one knows  man is mortal and finally must  leave  this world yet  it is so painful,  abba ji had a close friend  who  roared with  laughter and  his etes boiled out  and he was dead on the spot,  abba ji s life partner    at night went to bed  sometime later got up to go to the washroom to return  to her cot and sitting down she called out abba ji who was already awake,  he sat up on being called,  she complained of  a sinking heart  and asked for water,  abba ji walked up to  the jug and was pouring her water in a glass  when she collapsed on her bed,  abba ji  kept on calling her  shaking her but she was gone and beyond  the point of  hearing him 

They had spent forty four years together,  spending  heat and cold of life together,  sorrows and joys, highs and lows in health and  sickness  she had stood  by abba ji  s side always 

page 22

...8.55 am

The grave digger is in town , to look at he is as ordinary looking man as you and me,  neither extra tall nor too short,   neither heavy built  nor skinny,  his eyes are extraordinary  power, if he just looked into your eyes  most likely you would never see  life again 

Washington DC  morning time,  month of December  and the  last day of the year,  the gravedigger was clad in dark navy blue  on the blackish side  overcoat,  across his chest  was the shopping bag belt going around his neck and under his arms 

Roads were crowded and nobody noticed him, there wasn't anything  extraordinary about him,  he stood   before the metro station,  the time was five to nine,  he  was never late

He had to  make sure nobody  saw him,  he was at a subway tunnel,  the depth of the  metro tunnel is sixty feet, , commuters are going up and down,  the gravedigger was ready  , it was one minute to nine, his one hand slips into the  bag across his chest  

page 9

...apparently he wasn't as happy or content with life,  uncertain as he was about his future,  unsure how would he lead his life,  so he decided to find out more about his  future  from the seer peer Karamat shah, if the future held only  darkness  the pir could give him some suggestions, 

he would appeal  the seer gave him tips to remove darkness and  give him a taviz 

The seer had come to live in a rented house near zubeda khala  s , his presence was  pulling crowds  and growing  wider and famous gradually,  yet the evening he visited the pir he found him sitting alone in his room,   the floor was  carpetted and long pillows were arranged  all over,  in a corner incense sticks  fumed fragrance,  in another corner  on a low  stool were piled up big fat books, pir sahib held a tasbih  of  huge rounded beads in a hand  and he rather royally leaned against a long pillow comfortably 

chhappar phaad ke

...dear chacha jan

Hope you are doing fine,  you won't be interested in any way in my well-being  but let me customarily tell you I am well, perhaps you are surprised what makes me write this letter to you  because these days the trend of letter writing is over,  people like to stay connected online on whatsapp, Facebook, emails and cellphone messages,  now everyone knows about everyone everything,  who sneezed,  who is doing what 

I could too have  spoken to you over the phone  but I lack courage,  the matter is rather lengthy and  it was  certain you would have  got annoyed the moment I started to  speak,  you would have redacted by roaring growling snarling and flinging  bad words on me,  I would have lost  and  could never have   said  even a word  so phoning you was pointless,  now that I sat down to write this letter I realize how  enjoyable it is to  pen down my feelings,  it feels like I have suddenly become a writer  of a story,  this is true also in a way because I am writing  about my life   which is a story,  it's about  a chapter  of my life story 

from previous

...beyond the stars there are more  worlds 

Still there are tests of love to come 

.

.for  years this couplet is  repeated  and heard  the hidden  meaning and message in it is conveyed  clearly and can't be ignored,   education lovers become above others  by increasing their  ability and awareness  by learning,  learning  opens more opportunities and  understanding is developed,  khalud sahib  very well knew the importance of learning,  sitaron se aagey jahan aur bhi hain was  his favorite couplet , pakeeza anchal was his  dream  for  women  and on the Indian soil his  mother land he presented  a progressive  monthly magazine ever published  dedicated to the women folk  to encourage them  to take interest in reading writing  and studying more,  to enjoy  reading literature,  to develop personal  life quality,  by the grace of almighty  pakeeza anchal  became a huge success and one of the most sought after magazines  in the readers community globally,  now pakeeza anchal is branded  the best training  school,  all sincere  efforts are put in to maintain the content caliber,  interesting and useful material  is selected,  each issue is  practical  refreshing  , hopefully these urdu stories would ignite  deep interest  in the readers

Gratitude to almighty 

Thankful  

Gazala siddiqui

December

page 139

...a man returns home carrying a huge sack of colorful  shoes 

The wife asked him what were they and gotten from where 

The husband explained if she didn't know it was his first day of lecture 

.

.

Suddenly a terrible storm  came,  trees  were getting  torn out from their roots,  vehicles began banging into each other,  rooftops flew off, amidst all the chaos an absent minded professor  herded  people back together  encouraging them  to find from where to start  in this  hellish condition 

A man approached and took him aside  and gently said first of all he must go home and wear his  trousers 

.

.a man  stepped into his office singing loudly  and slapped  his boss on the face  followed by going to sit at his desk with legs on the desk  , his friend came in to tell him he was joking about his winning the lottery 

kahani khatm nahi hogi

....bauji, she said  she wasn't at all like him brave , she had no courage,  everyone said he had  lived   practically facing the challenges in life,   it was impossible for her to muster  enough courage to  fight her problems,  she always  slept on worries and woke up worried  , her name was joined with   someone  the moment she was born  and she couldn't   even   change it,  she couldn't   agree to lighten up someone's house  with   another person in mind,   she explained  her point  and asked him to   speak to  abba and amma  that she couldn't marry anyone else except sajid

She tearfully looked up at raja  Yusuf,  raja Yusuf  placed his hand on her head  , she who was  on her knees  , he too became emotional,  he  was protective and affectionate to his  younger brother's daughter,  she held a special place in his life,  alyas was his  brother from another mother,  ,  Yusuf s father had remained  after Yusuf s mother had died  but  he kept his second wife in a different house  so the children from the previous wife  don't get hurt,  definitely the  children had given him permission to  get married again on this condition 

Batul had  actually convinced her widower  father and insisted to get married before she was  married off and  there would be nobody to take care of him,  elder brother  most probably was to  take away his wife with him to multan 

khaufnak hadsa

....if there hadn't been  blood around it seemed   the woman was  participating in a race  getting ready for it, lizabel sat between the  two cupboards  on her hips with her left leg stretched and right folded in, clad in a jump suit  and tennis shoes  on the feet  that  had blood patches on them,  the blood had dried and turned  black and  scaly, her golden blonde hair caught  in a ponytail at the  back of  her  head ,  her chin   turned left wards her cheek rested  on the wooden shelf,  her eyes were shut,  the pool of blood  surrounding her had dried  and the  floor was  roughly  been wiped  in dirty patches,  her neck was slit said lawmond,  agreed pathologist   jacklin

The detective asked where  is the  rest of all the  blood disappeared 

Did someone clean up the floor 

Jacklin  said soap and water was used definitely,  whoever did it was  certainly in a great hurry,   the footprints left behind suggest  it was  merely a kid

Lawmond ordered to find out  more about the details 

page 110

....that night  as she lay down in her cot her head began spinning  like a manufacturing factory of thoughts circling around appa ji  and her condition and  things happening with her,  all the   recent events  had shaken her up, , what kind of business animosity it was, ,  this question went a step further turning into another question  and  it was  what business appa ji was doing,  who was  vadhera,  what did he want from her, , what had happened between them that he decided to finish her , bigger than this question was  what next,  was appa ji  going to maintain this deadly animosity  ,  what consequences were to follow,  what was at stake,  she  got tired  thinking over these  happenings and  stood up out of her bed

She wanted to see  appa ji before going to bed,  perhaps she had regained her consciousness,  there were four more rooms besides the  guest room and dining room,  appa ji was in one of the  four rooms 

page 109

....oh yes,  she usually  travels by train like this,  the purpose is to  reach out to help the  destitute girls in need,  she took a deep breath,, now that  she was there with her she wanted to share something with her because she  had been truthful with her so she also ought to know more about her, that  she was childless and had no blood relative  anywhere  anymore,  she had  social contacts and  very well maintained relationships  she knew how to get along  , she  was certain  the other was curious why she was taking so much interest in her, 

Why

Because she reminded her of her days of youth, like her she also was left all alone overnight  after her parents died in an accident 

page 104

....appi whatever you may say or do  now this wedding won't happen,  these were sabin s words like an explosion,  she felt  all was destroyed and  smoke surrounded   and spread around her,  she gave a look at sabin,  his tone was absolutely defeated,  he was broken  shattered    sorrowful  and  lost and regretting,  for two weeks he had been   carrying  heavy emotional load on his mind and heart,  only he knew  how heavy his spirit felt,  just after they were married  sadya told him  she had a love affair and was in relationship with him,  his voice  sunk with  loads of exhaustion  and  lifeless,  she was about to  fall down dead hearing him out 

Appi was the  main  matchmaker in this marriage,   sabin s fiance sadta s mother  had been appi s teacher,  she was   their  family friend  and very close the reason nobody bothered to check their past  affairs before marriage as is customarily done in arranged marriages,  theirs were quick engagement and instant marriage two weeks ago  , some time was given before the rukhsati,  there was still ten days for the rukhsati  but this information was  suicidal to the marriage 

page 107

....she couldn't believe her eyes and ears, how easily she had  come out of impossible situation,  the stories she had  heard about  police stations,  lock ups and investigations,  she was  terribly  frightening  in her  narratives,  with all her suspicions  she felt  relieved and fell down on her knees thankfully 8n prayer,  she was emerged clean of all  the charges, 

Appa ji  moved forward  seeing her falling down on her knees,  then she stopped  and asked her to show  all her gratitude to almighty at home 

By the time appa ji  brought her car around the police station gate  she waited   her heart sinking  , doubts  8n her mind   making her unsure of herself  , something still could  stop her from leaving with appa ji,

Appa ji asked her to sit down   as  the car door was opened and she sat down beside her in the back seat,  the  drive  drove off

It was a long large luxury car, the drive was comfortable and silent,  she remained  engrossed in her  thoughts,  she was jolted out of her reverie  when the car stopped 

page 85

....listen batul, tomorrow  abba is going to gamo s  with my marriage proposal  so tell motiya to refuse  Samir that evening had  visited  batul  s to inform her of her father  s plans,  batul  s heart had stopped  beating 

Chacha might take  batul  s proposal instead of motiya  this was a matter of active debate 

Abba was helpless because chaudhary shajjah had specially instructed him to bring this proposal,  Samir had tried to convince her about his abba but she wasn't  going to believe it

Wasn't that impossible that the chaudhary and chaudhrain would  ask abba so, ,chaudhrain was very much aware of  batul  s mother was  making rounds of Samir s house for their alliance  for years,  how could the chaudhrain  even think of it, batul was agitated and began  walking up and down the  courtyard  muttering  , her mother hadn't returned yet from the haveli,  Samir sat before her  in a cot  looking very stressed 

page 96

....it was  some vehicle's headlights  that lighted up the  surroundings,   her eyes momentarily  blinded  , , this dazzling light came from the torch held  in the police man s hands standing before her,  he was the same inspector  investigating  Ahmed s murder case and  visited  parveen  s house and  restricted her to  stay put in the  locality,  surprised he enquired recognizing her what was she doing there 

She stammered she had some   work there , she became so nervous she couldn't think of anything 

do you see the fire , he pointed towards the  fort of qadir khan some blocks away  set ablaze,  now  the fire  was under control but the house was completely demolished,  he asked her what did she know about it

She knew nothing and couldn't tell him anything at all 

What about ama saidan , people say you were seen around the cemetery 

She denied having  anything to do with it,  she was found there because she was helping Zarin, she took control of her  self 

Strange,  he pointed out she was  seen  everywhere  incidents were happening  yet she wasn't aware of what was happening 

page 83

...batul felt  either she was crazy or motiya gone mad,  for past half  hour  she had been narrating  what all was happening in the haveli  and  motiya was  merely nodding  now and then  picking up the red berries with  her hand covered with her veil  stuffing her mouth  , the berries were  collected by ner , batul  failed to see  any traces of worries  in her eyes  or attitude  nor did she  enquire about  Mahnoor  , in fact she showed no curiosity nor interest in any one 

Perhaps  motiya thought  batul was lying about  mahnoor and Murad  got engaged  , she was absolutely  engrossed in berries,  it was irking batul, her comment made  motiya lift her head to look directly  at her  and offer her a berry  before explaining   that Murad had promised her he would ask for her hand in marriage  so it  means he will do so,  she even saw the chaudhrain  come in her dream  so there wasn't any  need to get so worried,  motiya gave her  berries to eat,  her confidence  was so strong  batul  fumed  and became speechless 

page 75

...like a firefly  shining in the dark  his  eyes opened,  his head was heavy  aching terribly,  his entire body  stiff and painful,  usually this happened  after cricket matches  played in school  rejoicing with friends  but he remembered there wasn't any match  , safyan  was startled,  last night he had gone to bed  which was soft comfortable and warm  but now he woke up tied into a hard chair,  he  got scared,  he had matured before time  after his parents had   separated ,this new strange  situation turned him back to a small helpless boy

from previous

...every one is aware of what is lacking 8n life  but nobody is aware of  having what they have 

.

.

those think hundreds of times before committing something wrong who fear of karmic  consequences 

.

.

Just remember one thing all your life to stay sincere in prayers and relationships 

dopatta

...neighbors  long wrap  flew down into   the next door neighbors house,  they picked it up to find it was in tatters m the owner of the house went to the market,  got it dyed,  got it nicely packed  and decided to go  in the  evening   to hand it over  to the girl,  in the evening he put the long wrap in the shopper and pressed the door bell  , there stood a beautiful girl 

He said this is your   long wrap  that fell  down into his house  , she smiled and said it wasn't her long wrap but abba  s dhoti

page 58

...a young man sat on a bench in the police station,  he was clad in denims  ,  clean shaven neat, , his shoes were polished,  he had spent fifteen minutes sitting there,  his face reflected  self confidence  and contentment,  he  was called inside  some time later,  inspector zarik sat at his desk before him  with hasn  next to him,  the young man was asked to take a chair  and the first question was asked him if his name was alyas

Yes, he replied confidently he was alyas

Are you in the marketing  side 

Alyas was company manager in the sales department,  he quickly explained his position and post

There was a murder  in your family while you were away out of town,  inspector zarik watched his face closely 

He showed his  fear mixed sorrow 

Why are you scared 

Would not it be natural  to be scared with a murder in the family 

Absolutely right 

The young man alyas expressed  it was unbelievable  Sharwat was murdered  and he  shifted uncomfortably 

Who do you suspect,  if you saw anything  out of routine,  unexpected  unusual 

She was being threatened  by her first  husband's wife and son constantly,  sharwat was harassed 

Did she tell you she was  scared and harassed 

Of course,  she did,  that's why I took her to see a lawyer 

page 56

...it was a palatial house in a posh locality,  inspector  zarik reached there in plain clothes   with his  associate  hasn't in an ordinary car,  they waited after pressing the door bell  , a woman's voice rose who was there, 

He explained he was inspector zarik come to see Mrs zulfar,  his introduction  was followed  by  retreating  footsteps  , there seemed  a pause  before  approaching footsteps were heard   stopping near the  gate  and the voice  said  she was  the maid and Mrs zulfar was in mourning and unable to meet them but why did they want to meet her 

He explained it was urgent and he wouldn't take her long time,  Mrs zulfar could speak from  behind the screen,  minutes later the door opened and a thirty year old young man stood there  who looked right and left before looking at them suspiciously,  not spotting any uniformed  personnel  he concluded the visitors  lied

Inspector  introduced himself and asked if he was  zulfar Ahmed  s son

Inspector asked him his name  to which he rudely answered  who had sent him and why

Dana pani

...it was a nightmare of a night hanging heavy on Murad, he couldn't shut his eyes  even for a second,  he had for the first time seen  mother's  this aspect  that Murad wished for something and  tajur would run to get it,  then what happened  that Murad  wanted motia and  she refused  this time,  he wasn't to find  answers to this question in all the books of law piled up in his  house,  he was  a most obedient  to mother  hus unconditional  loyalty to her was unsurpassed,  he expressed it his love for her when he was asked  , tajur  would say it was  a test,  all night long he made taj mahal  from the match sticks  kept on the table,  his  dream  of the Taj mahal he would accommodate  motia,  his tajmahal   was without   any door 

page 53

....her hands trembled   she was checking her purse,  all the things she had  in there  she had  taken out,  rather throwing them out , when she found her   mobile she threw aside her empty  purse,  she turned the screen light on and her fingers stopped  as if  she had lost her mind to  go on, her lips   trembled,  her eyes moist,  her expression  highlighted  fear and worries,  she  found a number   and made the call  before waiting  to be answered  , but her call was not attended,  she tried again  but  her call was  cut off from the other side,  she began thinking what could she do now 

She remained  uncertain and dropped the idea of calling again,  she walked out of the room through the t v lounge   running towards the door to almost step onto  the dead body  lying there on the floor,  taking  courage she controlled herself and  turning  around reached the door 

Page 55

... she was  sweeping the courtyard and profusely sweating  when a soft  voice rose from the  wall of the next door neighbor  calling khala,  she turned to see  a cute innocent face  of  a girl in her early twenties emerge  from across the wall 

Salam khala 

Abida khatoon  dropped her broom  there and wiped her hands before walking towards the wall grumbling  niece if khala  at least  learn to greet properly,  she had reached the wall and she made a cover of her hand to focus on the intruder 

How many of you have come two days ago 

Me, my husband and daughter she nodded jerking her head

What's your name 

Roshni and jugnu is daughter's 

That's so interesting,  mother  is light and daughter  glow worm, it ought to be the other way around  , mother firefly and daughter  the light 

Smiled roshni , God willing  my daughter will become my light 

page 41

...you are just an evidence for me  to get both   fawad and  shezad arrested,  you are kept here so that the evidence is not destroyed before   it's produced in court,  shanza  looked at him   accusingly his tone was so venomous,  if only he had said instead  he wanted to save her  life  , he wasn't able to prove himself  a good  enemy,  something  broke inside shanza,  she lowered her head,  it was painful  and  she was hurt,  he seemed  above her in stature and she shrunk in comparison 

She was sorry,  hamad quickly  turned  to  reach out  to her  on her sentimental tone, to lift his hand to control himself  clenching his  fist,  she was tearful  pleading  , he turned away  and left  , he didn't want to be carried away by her tears 

page 38

....shanza regained her consciousness to find herself in a wooden cot, it was a room in a flat decorated in modern style,  the room was stacked with all the necessities,  she quickly got out of bed to survey herself  , she looked at the two seater sofa placed on one side,  she remembered how at gunpoint she was taken hostage at hostel gates,  in the car she felt a sharp  pain on her ear, she lost consciousness to wake up now,  she realized all her luggage was also brought to this room,  she quickly reached out for her handbag  to search for her cell phone and as she had suspected it was gone,  all the rest was inside except the phone,  in fact her expensive jewelry was also in her bag untouched 

page 53

...she stood watching her mother  through the ICU glass hole .  Covered all  over with  web of tubes , her eyes were shut,  her head   slightly rolled on one side,  she watched her in a state of shock,  she who was just a couple of hours ago expressed her strong  feelings of hatred  for her  discovered  the feeling was gone 

Amar was returning  with the important documents  of the hospital,  though abide khatoon was nowhere around 

Sami wrapped up in a sheet  sat on a chair  swaying  in her prayers  

Amar ignored her completely,  not bothering to come to her,  not uttering a word of concern  and sympathy,  not even  rebuked her, m he just stood in a corner   speaking on his mobile

She could have been standing by the  glass window for hours if she hadn't  felt  a hand pressed on her shoulder,  she turned to face abide khatoon,  her nose was red  definitely she had been crying but her face was expressionless 

page 18

...Sabina vaji, hope all is fine,  why was I called,  stepping into the room  she had asked  the junior chaudhrain, hamad was  also there,  with his oil massaged head sticky  oily resting in chaudhrain s lap, apparently he had  come for a head rub and chose to relax  with oil smeared head,  he opened his eyes to look at shanza, he  shut his eyes with a smile  that was quickly noticed by shanza,  

Chaudhrain said all was fine,  she invited her to sit down  near her,  hesitating  she sat down in one corner of the bed

Hamad wants to drive you to the town tomorrow morning 

Tomorrow...but why 

He says for shopping,  also  to sea new  house of your choice he would buy 

But what s wrong in this house , she was aware of unusual happenings  taking place in cities 

Chaudhrain also agreed,  she had already tried to talk to him but he was  adamant,  you  convince him  so he changes his mind,  all  my life is spent here in the haveli,  how will I adjust in a new environment  in old age,  , I have no association,  no memories  in the city, how would I live there,  I detest city life  but  he has declared he will  take  both shanza and chaudhrain to live in the city mansion with him 

page 37

...breakfast is almost ready,  get ready,  I will drop you to college,  she dropped the egg to the pan with a sizzling sound,  she quickly removed the   hot slices  from the tawa to place them on the plate,  then she poured the steaming tea  into the cup,  she arranged the tray,  putting the omelet between the two slices,  some ketchup  smeared over it to make a sandwich out of it

Thanks so much but I can manage by myself to the college,  I don't really need you to pick and drop me,  she shouted loudly from her room , roshni  heard her and her tone  sent a shiver down her spine,  she put the tray on a table and sat down in the sofa nearby  and with a  shadow of a smile waited for her room door to open,  roshni  suggested she could drop her  some distance away from the university,  nobody will notice you getting out of the car 

page 15

...but now  he would definitely kill her

Marry rafiq and quickly leave the haveli job then the chaudhary  won't be able to  touch you 

How  innocently naive you are sahiba baji, because rano managed to escape  he would take revenge  whether she gets married or not,   shanza  realized how weak and helpless the two of them were,  woman can never be  naturally   equal to man physically,  his strength is mightier,  legally socially  rights are given but her position remains  always lower 

Rano, flee  from the village,  go somewhere nobody knows you 

How can she go away leaving her parents and  rafiq  s family behind at chaudhary s disposal,  he would find them from anywhere,  rano was disappointed 

Shanza was  disturbed,  it all happened because of her,  but If  she hadn't  intervened  rano would be dead by now 

Don't you worry,  we'll find a way out , rano could  stay  there safe till the chaudhary   recovered 

After that..rano asked  

He will remain unwell  for sure,  Shanza  s voice  had a ring that  made rano look at her apprehensively 

page 13

.....take this sir, she said she had made  the breakfast  herself  with her own hands,  that  her mamani   used to constantly  press her to get to cooking but she never ever entered the kitchen,  she was speaking with a flare and then realizing  her  mistake stopped 

So you remember  your  mamani   and  this was the first time she had spoken of someone from her past

She was embarrassed  ,  it was just a slip of the tongue 

He was startled  she was  slowly recalling  events from her past,  perhaps  recovering  her lost memory,  he said cheerfully it was a good sign 

She  worriedly wiped her forehead  before saying she didn't remember anything  at all, she sat down beside him  , he began eating  complimenting on the  crispness of the paratha,  nobody cooked as well,  from where did she learn  such  culinary skills 

From khala Jina,  she is a great cook and makes  perfect parathas, again she had  spoken  unthinking  and revealed a name  , he  stopped  apprehensively on the name khala jina , she watched him , in his mind  a  scene flashed,  shamroz s  mother   praised her maid who was a good cook and made  perfect crispy parathas  

roshni aur jugnu

...making chewing gum bubbles she told rafya she hated her own mother the most in this world,   traveling in the bus the held on to the  handle and gave ladies seat to elderly women,  their routine was  going and coming back  swinging  standing , rafya looked at her as if she was  really mad creature  right before her, sge bent to look out of the window  to ascertain the location  and get ready for her stop

naat

...with a change if luck   life will change too

Wounded heart heals with a  caring  glance

Too unfaithful is the world  to find someone own 

Where else can one go    from your door

Mention of you keeps us going 

Careless moment  quickly  scatters the heart 

Wishing  to get oneself enveloped in your name 

Pass away with  your  loving name  in mind 

When the veil is lifted  light  fills the world 

To see heavenly  scenes before you 

Whoever sees the  charms  of beauty 

Never returns home  remains charmed forever 

page 9

....shanza was a reporter  come from the city to stay in the haveli, she was daring  and enjoyed  collecting  evidence,  she saves rano and the chaudhary and one guard were  injured badly  and rushed to the hospital  , the  two chaudhrains  senior and junior  wake up next morning  with the entire staff and family   very late, the meal tge previous night was drugged,  who could that be doing  when nothing was stolen  nor gone missing,  shanza  comes back to her room and whatsapped the pictures quickly she had taken  before  hiding the sim, memory card  and the mobile and her bag in different places  so when  the search is conducted  nothing is found on her , she makes sure not to get out of the room before others as she too had eaten the same meal,  senior chaudhrain threatens all to find out who injured her son  when none of the others were,  who ever mixed sleeping pills next time would poison them,  , one maid makes an observation  shanza wasn't   affected at all  , others were worried and surprised  and scared   almost  getting closer to each other,  shanza retaliated what should she do , was she expected to cry,  she was late and hungry and ordered a large breakfast 

suragh

..lshanza stood before the mirror  clad in something like a tight black jumper suit,  she gathered her long lush hair  and covered them with a  cap for men, she then took out a sharp dagger from her bag to slip it in her tight bkack leg pocket just under the knee on the shin with a small lady pistol,  again sge surveyed her reflection in the mirror  before turning the room light off, she craned her head out into complete silence this was the middle of the night when usually all are fast asleep,  she was certain the whole haveli slept  peacefully at that hour for she had  mixed half of the  contents of the bottle she had stolen from the hakim s place  into the dinner of the haveli,  that was sleeping pills bottle,  it was certain nobody was waking before next  day

She opened the door to close it after her before racing silently tiptoeing towards the outside wall where she  jumped up to catch the upper edge of the wall  acrobatically  crossing over on the other side,  it was one  at night,  she had  chosen this hour  carefully  so nobody  in the village  could  even accidentally  come across her 

page 12

.... mahtab would you like to belong to someone who doesn't like you,  where shahzad asked her she was absolutely  startled  , her eyes  expressed  disbelief  and shahzad was completely  serious 

Aftab doesn't like you at all,  you must  think from your mind not from your heart  what kind of  life it would be for you,  someone who is  agreeing unwillingly  to accept you,  this compromise  will become painful emotionally for you  , shagzad .eft her I surrounded in doubts,  how was it possible  Aftab didn't like his long time betrothed , but the point was what made shahzad  leave  doubts  deliberately  in her mind  though he was a  not a serious  type of a person  , uncaring   eyes showed  his desire to become wealthy overnight  , he was always calculating   new equations to fulfill his dreams of gaining immense wealth  , he remained day and night  engrossed in his schemes, he evaded  studies,  he attended college  because be was scared of ammi  shamina khatoon , he spent the  time  there  roaming about  not attending classes to return home  on time  to lock himself up in his room to  stay  with his mobile   searching for  tips  to become rich quickly 

page 120

....both were  stunned to complete silence  not breathing  , breathing is a necessity to life,  both  were  dying to live together  figuratively,  

With three native  life supports 

Her  rose complexion 

Charms divine  bathed  beauty 

Her  loveliness  a   wholesome story 

Descriptions  fill up uncountable pages 

Enveloped in spring fragrance 

That  can turn deserts to life 

Her voice sweet  oasis refreshing 

Her silence  cool soothing 

Ethereal being 

She  is an enchantress 

page 104

....appa how long you have not been to our place,  for months,  Ana s annoyance showed clear and loud on the phone,  

Dear,  I can't  travel  so  soon so much,  explained tavanda beghum 

But appa, you are absolutely free tge whole day,   why don't you come  insisted  Ana stubbornly 

All right my dear,  I shall try , give the phone to your mother,  there is something  important to talk about 

Obediently  Ana handed the cell phone to nosha beghum 

Both sisters  quickly  engrossed in a conversation 

Ana got bored and returned to  sit before the television  once again in the lounge  to watch her favorite show 

from previous

....the  majestic school building that  till  few days ago  resonated with hundreds of children's   cheerful  voices  turned  deadly silent,  gayash sat clutching  his head  in a vacant room,  just a few minutes before he had received  a  heavy duty  , property tax notice  , three days  earlier   the first court notice   was related to the  map  though  minor alterations  he had made in the  building,   , gayash was  absolutely clear it was dirty tactics to make  him a soft target  certain  they were  those who didn't want him to be in the place 

Sighing  he opened a drawer  of a table where  a postcard size  picture  of hashta was kept,   it was a picture  secretly clicked  at nathya gali  where he had  stayed overnight 

page 102

...appa,  you don't know how much  upset I am with shanya,  she thinks  money is blank paper,  childish  she spends endlessly , sometimes diapers  urgently needed on other times  milk powder   and herself she remains  constantly sick,  moaning with  a variety of pains  from back pain to  specific  aches, my poor Farhan  works so hard to earn  and run the  family but who can  advise his wife,  I am his mother,  Ana his sister,  we destined to  burn slowly   nosha beghum  s sentimental outpour was bitter 

Tabanda beghum  faintly smiled  and remained silent but her smile  couldn't escape from nosha beghum s  keen   observation and sge flared up 

Appa,  you have honestly always been very lucky,  in the matters of husband and in laws  too,  in fact  in the case of daughter in law  also  , what else  could one ask for,  who else is as fortunate as you,  nosha beghum concluded  she herself was  unlucky to get a daughter in law like  shanya 

from previous

....two weeks passed by after the school episode,  gayash had returned home a few days ago from the hospital, his heart sank seeing the condition of the  school  , elder brother insisted he came along with him but he refused,  he very frankly  told him he was there to stay,  before being discharged from the hospital he had already sent his mother to Nathya gali for had she stayed she would have pressed him to leave the place and go back to Nathya gali,  he hired a big lawyer's services  and hoped hus friend humayun will get bail soon, gayash s lawyer  based on the collected information  proved it he had intimate relationship with a stage  dancer, Sheila was her sister and a stage drama actress  herself,  the judge had also  believed  humayun was trapped  but he was accused of being found alone with Shela in a closed room 

page 99

...jannat was married off into mamu  s household,  jannat delighted everyone,  she would start her day with namaz,, she wake up Raju,  ladies stayed home to pray as men folk attended  masjid  congregation,  after namaz she cleaned the surroundings and cooked hot delicious parathas for all , , naki and kamal would leave for school,  Karamdin for his work  and Bilal for factory 

She got razya admission to a stitching course  and taught wadi cooking skills  and house management , rozy smoothened  mud paste  onto the mud oven,  jannat  shone the dishes dazzling,  washed laundry  with instructions to spread the clothes on the lines in  the sun inside out so no visible  patches of bird droppings or other  matter  would show up on the right side,  while she cooked she would make wadi sit by her side  telling her demonstrating her how to roast spices, step by step  and systematically kept the clean utensils after drying them up on the shelves,  she opened  all the cupboards and cleaned them up before  neatly folding the clothes and stack them back, piling up the worn out torn pairs to mend them  for reuse,  by evenings she sprayed water in the vicinity  before  arranging  cots for the night,  dinners  were punctually  ready before Maghreb 

kanch mahal

...Farah and singer faizan  defied  chacha mukhrar s  prohibitive orders  and kept meeting each other,  a storm  came when chacha knew of it, she was trying to equal  a low grade  singer  to them,  he would rather kill the  singer  than to accept that alliance,  mukhtar roared in rage and the daughter was locked up inside 

Faizan was a self made  progressive man  trying to establish himself in the  showbiz world,   just one elder brother worked in sharja, his old father and  sister lived with faizan,  chacha mukhrar turned against this  man's life,  as  bad luck would have it  before faizan could declare of his secret love affair  he was  wrongly  implicated in a murder case which was reopened  though he was given bail

page 97

....it was Bilal  s habit to  visit his  phuphu at least once a week,   where he liked  the peaceful quiet atmosphere,  younger phuphu had just one son and daughter,  elder son Yasser and jannat who had completed her f a and done a stitching course and now stayed home  giving tuitions to children and  managed her house,  jannat was a  cultured  and practical girl  who always kept her head covered neatly with a dupatta,  she spoke  decently with every one around her,  her style was gentle,  everyone who met ber liked her 

In those days   Bilal also  git attracted by her and decided this girl will definitely make his home a  paradise,  Yasser was his close friend,  they returned home in the evenings  often together,  Yasser had got Bilal a job in the same factory he was working in,  salaries increase with time  but it was  Bilal  who was quite popular  amongst people,  the masters trusted him for his honesty,  he became the foreman within two years and his salary increased 

Bano s frequent rounds to the market quickly  filled up her boxes,  she even shortlisted three young marriageable girls,  Bilal one  supper time   shared his views and asked his parents to ask phuphu for jannat  s hand, Karmazin was extremely happy but ammi created a scene  screaming her on the job boy was hooked by phuphu and her daughter 

Bilal  firmly explained  jannat wasn't even aware he liked her 

gazal

... there is yet breathing  left in the body 

There is still hope of life left

Returned we from the seas

Yet our thirst  remains unsatisfied 

Broken the heart is left crunched

Yet the feel of that touch remains around 

Blossoms have long ago  fallen from trees 

Yet their fragrance remains around 

jannat

...summer afternoon was slowly sagging down,  it was four in the evening  when those  four sisters sat in the yard under a tree   eating  half ripe and  unripe mangoes that were  buried in wheat  a few days ago  which  turned edible today,  after eating the pulp  the sisters  collected the  mango kernels  to playfully throw them one by one  as far away as they could as a result the whole  yard was covered with  mango peels and kernels 

page 87

...hanya was enjoying  her hit cup of tea with farzana, farzana sat  facing her looking  worried,  

Hanya asked her what was wrong with her

Ùncertain farzana  expressed her fears something might go wrong 

Hanya confidently  assured her she was there with her and nothing could go wrong 

Farzana liked kafil and couldn't  harm him 

Stop it, there wasn't any need of emotional show hanya was genuinely annoyed,  she asked her to  keep her mouth shut or did farzana  understand 

Farzana  slowly nodded her head but her expressions  were clear  she  was very upset,  kafil  didn't like her  and she liked him  but  something had happened between them that farzana was  ready to take her own life,  hanta saved her life,  now hanya  wanted to avenge  farzana s  situation from kafil  , she had already taken the first step towards it, , she had  filed a report against  kafil in the police station and successfully humiliated  him, farzana who was in love with him wasn't happy about this,  how could she  bear to see him in pain 

page 59

...yawar, what's wrong with you,  ever since you came back from the office  you have locked  yourself inside your room,  not eating nor resting,  are you  burdened with the entire office work,  ammi was irritated and speaking to him sitting by his side 

Ammi,  he said,  just some more work was to be completed  then he will be free,  he asked her to send him a cup of tea, his eyes unwavering  were fixed all the time on his laptop 

Ammi argued how could he have just tea on an empty stomach in such a summer heat,  he must first eat the food she would send him,  she had specially  made  kheema karela his choice on his  demand,  she was in the kitchen  whole day  and he didn't even bother to taste it, she complained 

He quickly agreed to eat his food,  he had forgotten to eat  because of his being so busy,  he cared for ammi, , she added tandoori rotisserie had also  stiffened,  he  said he was ready to eat  cold food also,  he said lovingly,  she shook her head and left the room 

Karela kheema was absolutely delicious with raita, salad and tandoori rotisserie, he ate heartily,  Maryam his younger sister brought him his tea, he began searching for forest related   material 

from previous

...Hanya  reached zwar s office  at the police station,  he recognized her the daughter of Seth Shahid Ahmed khan whose  many  matters were solved by zwar! Hanya had heard so much  so many times of him that she had  come to him to discuss  some matter and ask for his help,  she was certain he could help her 

He was a smiling amiable helpful person reay to help 

Hanya said the first thing to remember was he must not let anyone  not even her father  influence him in the matter 

wahashi

...sge was in her room sitting  holding a bottle of sleeping pills in her hands,  tears covered her face,  cupping her hand with  pills she  was  trying to muster courage to swallow them,  her plans were quite dangerous,  she wanted to end her life,  her hand jerked and all the pills fell onto the floor,  it had happened because another girl had entered the room  and  her life was saved  

What do you think you are  doing 

Don't you already know it 

Farzana,  this isn't the solution to your problem,  she held her face and tried to  make her see the  point assuring her all her support m they will together definitely find some way out,  she embraced Farzana and began patting her  but her eyes were  deeply thoughtful 

page 30

Soon  again daroga met wahab , in the early golden dawning sunlight  the entire Baghdad was  bathed gold, wahab was riding through  the bazaar  carrying   a couple of baskets ,  daroga  gathered himself  his flab shaking  to block wahab  s way

Scratching his beard  wahab asked  sayyad the reason for stopping him,  his eyes  pools of innocence  and  boredom 

Daroga   explained he needed to check his  baggage 

What checking , he wasn't a criminal,  he was an honest worker seeking a decent job,  it was unreasonable he was being stopped for checking 

Daroga was following the orders of  khalifa who had  clearly instructed all 

Not to  sell rotten  stuff  and  tried to  search  his things 

Wahab  was  irritated  the Khalifa had no sense  to   understand the right from wrong or he would not have appointed an unsuitable person like you on this job 

Wahab s fearless and bold manner  shook the daroga  s spirit and threatened wagab to mind his tongue or he will be buried alive for speaking against the Khalifa 

page 57

... Sunday bazaar at gulshan  Ravi was held in   massive open lands ,  all sides were  entrances and exits without defining territory  till bom explosions  sent scare ripples   and security  was increased  with   instant  rope territory,  leaving just one  way inside  with lady police and walk through  metal detection  ramp, now  the route to Sunday bazaar was  longer and tiring  , earlier just outside the hostel  started the Sunday rush

She was having fun with razya and Nadya  going to different stalls,  she was tight fisted when it came to spending money,   she was frugal by nature and quite careful buyer, her shopping bag contained  few things,  she stood looking at a bag at a stall when a loud enthusiastic greeting  made her lift her head,  it was yawar who appeared pleasantly surprised to see her there,  he was buying weekly vegetables and fruit with his mother and lived nearby  , she  also lived nearby  her reply was abrupt 

His house was located in the next block by the main market,  he respectfully invited her to  visit him to meet his sisters and mother,  he excitedly explained his mother was with him and asked her to meet her,  she refused because she was in a hurry  some other time,  holding Nadya  s hands she walked away,  he was left  standing alone  thinking over her attitude as she  razya and Nadya  moved away 

Who is this so handsome man 

Why didn't you ever before talk about him 

Both razya and Nadya  exchanged meaningful glances  as they spoke to her 

page 29

...the evening was in its final phase,  the streets were   getting  silent,  wahab was slowly walking back towards his house,  his alert senses  informed him daroga sayad was around,  wahab didn't like this man  at all , he quickly  rode off  on his  hyper active horse,  daroga saw  him  riding away and  got up to catch him  but his  heavyweight  didn't allow  him to be as swift,  he shouted  someone  go catch  wahab who had already disappeared 8n the  far oblivion,  the shopkeeper  asked sayyad if the man was his close friend  seeing how uncomfortable daroga looked,  he was  an attractive seller  who  bought and sold scented  soaps and things in Baghdad 

Sayyad denied being friends with wahab  because sayyad didn't like such crazy people 

Then why did you try to  follow him  asked the  perfume seller who was not  intimidated by the daroga in any way,  daroga  had been informal and ordinary man with flaws  that  didn't  overshadow  the attar seller s curiosity,  daroga explained it was  his duty  then looked around before  speaking  in  whispering  tone Khalifa   harun  alrashid had hired him to keep an eye on the  runaway