He was in deep sleep when he heard a sudden loud banging on his door.
He sat up. The door was being jolted by the noise. He looked at the wall
clock with half-open eyes—it was 4:00 a.m. Rubbing his eyes, he went to
the door, furious at whoever was knocking on it. Angrily, Salar yanked the
door open to find the servant standing there.
‗What's your problem—why are you banging on the door? Do you want to
break it down?' he shouted at the man.
‗Salar Sahib, the police are outside.' The servant was flustered. Salar's
sleep and fury both vanished. In a trice, he knew why the police was there
and he was surprised at the alacrity of Imama's family and the police; how
on earth had they reached him within a few hours of last night's events?
‗Why are the police here?' Salar asked, keeping his voice calm and his face
expressionless.
‗That they're not saying, sir, except that they want to meet you. But the
chowkidar has not let them in. He told them that you weren't home, but they
have a warrant for you. They said they'll break in if they're not allowed to
come in and they'll arrest everybody.'
Salar breathed a sigh of relief: the chowkidar had acted really sensibly. He
must have been sure that the police were here to investigate about the girl
last night so he had neither let the police enter nor told them about Salar
being home.
‗Don't worry…I'll handle this somehow,' Salar told the servant and went back into his room. If it were any ordinary citizen's house, the police would
have stormed in; but the size of the house and its location intimidated them.
If Imama's family were not as influential, perhaps the police would not dare
enter this sector, and that too with a warrant—they were now between a
rock and a hard place.
Salar immediately called up Sikandar Usman in Karachi. ‗Papa, there's a
small problem. The police are standing outside our gate and they have an
arrest warrant for me.'
Sikandar Usman almost dropped the cell phone. ‗Why?'
‗I don't know, Papa. I was sleeping when the servant woke me up to inform
me. Should I go and inquire from the police why they want to arrest me?'
Salar asked his father in a tone of filial obedience.
‗No, there's no need for you to go out or call the police in. Stay in your
room; I'll call you in a while.' Sikandar Usman hung up quickly. Salar was
relieved that the police would no longer be there a little later and that's just
what happened. Ten or fifteen minutes later, the servant came to inform
Salar that the police had left. The man was still talking to Salar when
Sikandar rang him up.
‗Have the police gone?' he asked the minute he heard Salar's voice.
‗Yes, they've left,' Salar spoke in a calm and relieved voice.
‗Now listen to me carefully. Your mother and I are reaching Islamabad
tonight. Till then you are not to leave the house. Do you understand that?'
Salar found his father's tone rather strange—it was cold and brusque.
‗Yes, I do,' he said and put down the phone. As he did so, his gaze fell on
the carpet which had footprints all over. The servant was also looking at
them in surprise as they seemed to come in from the window across the
room.
‗Clean up these footprints,' Salar ordered.
The servant went out. Salar went to the sliding window and opened it. He
had figured it out right—the same muddy footprints trooped across the
verandah too. Imama had jumped over the wall into the flowerbeds and
trudged the mud all over. The marks stood out on the white marble floor of
the verandah. Salar let out a deep breath. He turned to see the servant
cleaning the marks on the carpet.
‗There are footprints in the verandah also. Clean them,' said Salar.
The servant could no longer contain his curiosity. ‗Whose footprints are
these?'
‗Mine,' Salar replied abruptly.
He was busy having his dinner when Sikandar Usman and Tayyaba arrived
home. Their faces were drawn. Salar continued to eat, unconcerned. They walked past quietly.
‗Come to my room when you've finished eating,' said his father as he went
out. Instead of replying, Salar helped himself to some fruit trifle.
When Salar went up to his parents' room fifteen minutes later, Sikandar
Usman was pacing up and down while Tayyaba sat on the sofa in a state of
anxiety.
‗Papa, did you call for me?' Salar asked as he entered.
‗Sit down and I'll tell you why I sent for you.' Sikandar stopped in his tracks
and took a seat beside Tayyaba. ‗Where's Imama?' he asked without losing
a second.
‗Imama who?' If it were someone other than Salar, his face would have
reflected some reaction or alarm, but Salar was one of a kind.
Sikandar's face was red with fury. ‗Your sister!' he growled.
‗Papa, my sister's name is Anita.' There was no limit to his composure.
‗Tell me just one thing—how many times and in how many ways will you
humiliate me?' Sikandar got up and sat down on the other sofa.
‗What are you talking about Papa? I fail to understand,' Salar said in
surprise.
‗Although you understand everything very well,' his father shot back
sarcastically. ‗Look here, just tell me without any fuss where Imama is—this
matter is not as simple as you think.'
‗Papa, which Imama are you referring to? I don't know any Imama.'
‗I'm talking about Waseem's sister,' Sikandar spoke gruffly.
‗Waseem's sister?' he fell into thought. ‗Oh yes, I remember now—the one
who gave me first aid last year.'
‗Yes, the same girl. And now that your memory has been restored, tell me
here she is.'
‗Papa, she must be at home or in the hostel at the medical college. What
have I got to do with her?' he told his father in a surprised tone.
‗Her father has lodged a case of her abduction against you.'
‗Against me? I don't believe it! What do I have to do with her?' Salar's voice
and face were remarkably composed.
‗That's what I want to know—what is your connection with her?'
‗Papa, I don't even know her. Except for a couple of times, I haven't even
met her. So how am I linked to her abduction? I didn't even know that she
had been abducted.'
‗Salar, stop this acting now and tell me where the girl is. I have promised
Hashim Mubeen that I will restore his daughter to him.'
‗Then fulfill your promise and do restore his daughter to him if you can find
her. But why are you troubling me with this?' ‗Look here, Salar, if there's any sort of understanding between you and
Imama, we'll work it out. I'll arrange your wedding with her myself. But for
the time being, tell me where she is.' There was a shift in Sikandar's tone
and stance.
‗For God's sake, Papa, stop it! What understanding, what wedding… if I
had an understanding with someone, would I kidnap her? What makes you
think I'd develop any understanding with Imama? She's not my type.'
Salar's voice rose.
‗Then why are they accusing you of kidnapping her?'
‗You should ask them, instead of asking me,' Salar replied in the same
distasteful manner. ‗Today, Hashim Mubeen is saying this. Tomorrow,
someone else will come up with a similar accusation and you'll start
screaming at me. I told you I was sleeping when the police arrived and now
you come and grill me…I had no clue whether or not Waseem's sister had
been abducted…why are they accusing me? What proof do they have that I
was involved in this abduction? And suppose I did, would I be sitting here
at home? I should be with her,' he said bitterly.
‗I came to know of your case through the SP. I called up Hashim Mubeen
from Karachi, but he was not willing to speak to me. I had to beg and plead
to talk to him…he said that his daughter had disappeared during the night
and that you were also away from home all night and returned this
morning.'
‗So where does abduction figure in this? To begin with, I did not go
anywhere last night, and secondly, to kidnap someone you have to enter
their home and I did not force my way into anyone's house.'
‗Hashim Mubeen's gatekeeper saw you leave last night and return this
morning.'
‗His gatekeeper is a liar,' Salar said loudly.
‗Our gatekeeper saw you leave with a girl last night,' Sikandar retorted,
griting his teeth in anger. Sikandar was momentarily speechless.
Obviously, Sikandar had already grilled the chowkidar as soon as he got
home.
‗It was one of my friends,' Salar replied, looking at Tayyaba.
‗Which friend? Who was she? Tell me her name and address.'
‗Sorry, Papa, I can't do that—it's personal.'
‗You went to drop her in the city, here in Islamabad?'
‗Yes.'
‗You've dropped her off in Lahore—the SP told me you crossed four
checkposts and your number has been noted at all four of them. On the
way, you stopped at a service station to have your car checked and you also had dinner with that girl,' Sikandar told him, giving him the name of the
service station and that of the hotel. Salar looked at his father but said
nothing.
‗The SP himself gave me all this information. He has not spoken to Hashim
Mubeen as yet; he said I should talk to you and the girl should be
recovered and quietly returned home, or else we should tell her family of
her whereabouts so that the matter is brought to an end without any
problems. But how long do you think he will keep this from Hashim
Mubeen? Even if he covers up all this out of friendship and consideration,
Hashim Mubeen is very resourceful and he'll get to the bottom of this—and
you'll spend your life in prison.'
Sikandar tried to scare him—Salar kept looking at Sikandar, unmoved.
‗Now stop lying and tell me where the girl is?'
‗That girl is in the red light area.'
‗What!' Sikandar was jolted.
‗I brought her from there and that's where I left her.'
Ashen-faced, his parents looked at him.
‗But it was not Imama. I had gone to Lahore day before yesterday and I
brought this girl home to spend the night with her; I dropped her back last
night. I don't have her contact number, but if you accompany me to Lahore
I‗ll take you to her or give her address and the police can verify these facts.'
There was stunned silence in the room. Sikandar and Tayyaba were
looking at Salar in disbelief and he sat looking out of the window—relaxed
and peaceful.
‗I can hardly believe you would do such things…go to such places.'
Sikandar spoke after a long pause.
‗I'm sorry, Papa, but I do...and this is also known to Imama's brother
Waseem. I've been there on several weekends and Waseem knows about
it; you can ask him.'
‗Give me the girl's address,' scowled Sikandar
‗I'll get it from my room,' said Salar, getting up.
As soon as he got into his room, Salar immediately called a friend from his
mobile and explained the situation to him.
‗Akmal, I've given my father the address of that house in the red light area
where we've been going. Inform any girl who knows me there about this; I'll
call you again a little later.'
Then he quickly wrote down the address on a piece of paper and took it to
Sikandar's room. He put the paper before his father, which he literally
snatched, looking at him angrily.
‗Get out of here!' Salar walked away calmly. When he was in his room, he called up Akmal
again.
‗I'll call you when I get there,' said Akmal.
Salar relaxed on his bed waiting for Akaml's call which came fifteen
minutes later.
‗Salar, I've prepared Saneeya; I've explained everything to her.' Salar knew
Saneeya.
‗Akmal, get a pen and paper and note down what I tell you,' he said and
then he began to describe the outward appearance of his house and its
location.
‗What's this? I've been to your place, I know…' asked Akmal, surprised.
‗You've seen it, Saneeya hasn't. I'm giving you all these details for her. If
the police come to investigate, they're going to ask her just to verify that
she had indeed come to Islamabad with me. She had come under cover in
the car, at night, so she could not see very much, but coming into the
house, there are lawns on both sides; my car is red and it's a sports car; its
number is…' he went on dictating. ‗We crossed four police check posts;
she was wearing a white shalwar qameez, a white chadar and a black
pullover. On the way we stopped at this gas station,' he gave Akmal the
name. ‗But she could not see the places clearly because of the fog.'
Salar continued to provide the details, one after the other, from the
description of the man at the service station to that of the boy who served
them tea and the room they sat in, the food they ate, and the conversation
between them. He included the smallest detail of his house too, from the
porch to his room and the stuff in it.
‗Tell Saneeya to memorize all this,' he said—his last instructions to
Akmal—then he ended the call. He was sitting on his bed, thinking back on
this, when Sikandar Usman barged in.
‗What's the girl's name?'
‗Saneeya,' Salar said at once. Without saying any more, Sikandar Usman
left the room.
---------------------
After Sikandar left the room, Salar suddenly remembered the lawyer
through whom they had contacted Hashim Mubeen. Hasan was the one to
hire the lawyer who did not even know Salar Sikandar's name, but Hasan's
involvement in this affair bothered Salar—through the lawyer Hashim
Mubeen could reach Hasan, and through Hasan, Salar.
Salar's next call was to Hasan to whom he explained the developments. ‗I'd been warning you all along,' Hasan reacted. ‗I know Waseem and his
family very well and I know the extent of their influence and contacts,' he
went on.
Ennui—Salar found this tiresome. ‗I did not call you up to predict my
future—I just wanted you to be aware of the danger of this situation.'
‗What danger?' Hasan was alarmed.
‗That they can reach you through the lawyer you hired and through you,
easily reach me.'
‗That they can't do.' Hasan was nonchalant.
‗Why?'
‗Because I have done everything most carefully and taken all precautions.
The lawyer can't get to me either: the address and phone number I gave
him were fake.'
Salar broke into a smile—he should have expected this cleverness of
Hasan who did such things expertly, leaving no loose ends. Hasan
continued, ‗I've been to that lawyer just once; after that I called him up.
Besides, my appearance was so different when I met him that I don't think
he can recognize me or link me to Hashim Mubeen.'
‗But if he should?'
‗Then...I don't know, I haven't thought about it.' Hasan was very candid.
‗Wouldn't it be better for you to go away for a few days and make it look like
your absence was tied to some very important work?' suggested Salar.
‗I have a still better idea—to give that lawyer some money and instruct him
to provide a misleading description of me in case Hashim Mubeen or the
police turn up at his door for investigation. At least, it will throw them off
track for some time and I won't be caught in any anxiety. Besides, I'm going
to England for a few weeks,' Hasan revealed, ‗so if they do come, I'll be far
beyond them, rest assured.'
‗If you're really so confident and relaxed, then it's fine. Possibly, they may
not come for you at all, but I thought it was important to inform you.' Salar
was about to disconnect the call.
‗By the way, where did you drop her off in Lahore?'
‗On a road—where else could I have left her? She gave no details of her
whereabouts—no directions, no location. She just went away.'
‗You're such a fool—you should have had the guts to ask her.'
‗Maybe, but I didn't need to.' Salar deliberately avoided divulging his last
conversation with Imama.
‗I'm surprised that you should be involved in such affairs. With one's own
type of girls it's a different matter, but someone like Waseem's sister—your
taste is declining.' ‗I'm ―involved‖? Salar exploded. ‗You've really lost it or else you'd not say
such rubbish to me. There's a huge difference between involvement and
adventure, Mr. Hasan.' His tone dripped with sarcasm.
‗And you covered this distance in one leap, did you, Mr Salar?' Hasan
retorted in the same tone.
‗You're crazy, that's all!'
‗And you're crazier than me—otherwise you'd not term such foolhardiness
an adventure.' Hasan was quite exasperated.
‗Just because you helped me, it doesn't give you the right to say what you
please.' He was infuriated by Hasan's remarks.
‗I'm not through with you yet; what are you referring to—my comments
about your taste or your stupidity?' Hasan asked as before: he was not
affected by Salar's temper.
‗Okay, shut up! Stop arguing senselessly.'
‗Talking about these things at this point is to dig up old issues.' Hasan was
serious. ‗Suppose the police do get to us and want to know Imama's
whereabouts, what will we say? I don't think they'll buy your story about not
knowing anything—what do you plan to do then?'
‗Nothing—I'll tell them just what I told you,' Salar's raised his voice.
‗Yes, and that's where the problem will begin—with this statement of yours:
―I don't know anything about Imama.‖' Hasan repeated Salar's words. ‗You
should know very clearly that they will get to her by any means.'
‗That's a later scenario. I don't worry myself to death over hypotheses and
possibilities. We'll cross the bridge when we come to it,' Salar casually
dismissed Hasan's fears. ‗The only help I need from you now is to keep this
entire affair a secret and keep yourself out of the clutches of the police.'
‗I'd do that even without your saying so. If I were to get caught, I'll be in no
position to face Waseem. You've landed me in a really embarrassing spot
this time.'
‗I'm going to hang you because you're heading for another fit of dire
warnings and regrets—you're acting like my father!'
Salar abruptly ended the call. His brow was furrowed as the events of the
past night crowded his mind.
--------------------------
‗I could never have believed he'd sink to these depths. Red light area—God
Almighty! No one from our past seven generations would have gone there
and this boy—what did I not do for him? Have I deprived him in any way?
And yet he tries to kill himself, and now this…Oh God, how far will he go?' Sikandar Usman sat holding his head in his hands.
‗I am really angry about the servants—they should not have let that girl
enter the house. They should keep an eye on what goes on in our
absence,' said Tayyaba, veering away from the topic.
‗There's a world of difference between keeping an eye on the house and
keeping an eye on the master of the house,' Sikandar retorted bitterly. ‗In
this case, it was not the house but the master who had to be watched.
Moreover, no one saw the girl enter the house—he said he brought her
over the same day and then dropped her back. The chowkidar denies
seeing any girl come in with him, but they all agreed that he drove out with
a girl.'
‗That means that he made sure she was well-hidden.'
‗He's got the devil in him…you know that. Just pray that this matter ends
here, that Hashim Mubeen finds his daughter and we're out of this mess—
then we'll think about what to do with him. God knows where we went
wrong that are being punished so…I really don't know what to do.'
about 6 months ago
Umera Ahmed Official
The next morning, he woke up and got ready for college as usual. When he
came down for breakfast, he was surprised to see Sikandar Usman at the
table. Normally, he did not have his breakfast at this time as he went to the
office later. Salar was somewhat taken aback to find him there, but his
drawn face and reddened eyes showed that he had not slept well.
Seeing Salar ready to go out early in the morning, he asked rather sharply,
‗Where are you going?'
‗College.'
‗Are you out of your mind? After hanging this albatross round our necks,
you're going off to college? Look here, you're not going anywhere till this
matter's settled. Don't you realize the danger you're in?'
‗What danger?' Salar's mind was alerted.
‗I don't want you to suffer at Hashim Mubeen's hands, so it's best for you to
stay put at home.' Sikandar spoke curtly. ‗Once his daughter's found, you
can resume your classes.'
‗If his daughter goes missing for a year, does that mean that I stay home?
Didn't you tell him about my statement?' Salar spoke sharply to his father.
‗I did and Saneeya also verified your statement.' His voice was sad and
bitter when he mentioned Saneeya's name. ‗But Hashim Mubeen insists
that you've abducted his daughter.'
‗So what should I do? Too bad if he won't believe me—what difference
does it make?' Salar reached for the food on the table. ‗It may not make a difference to you—it does to me. You don't know
Hashim Mubeen—how influential he is and to what extents he can go, but I
know. And I don't want you getting hurt so just stay home for the time
being.'
Sikandar Usman spoke more gently this time. Perhaps he had realized that
his sternness would have no effect on Salar who wouldn't listen to him.
‗But Papa, this will affect my studies. Sorry, I can't stay home.' Sikandar's
leniency had no impact on Salar.
‗I'm not concerned with the effect on your studies—I just want you to be
home, do you understand?' Sikandar suddenly snapped at him.
‗At least, let me go today; I have some urgent work to wind up.' Salar was
puzzled at his father's temper.
‗You can instruct the driver, he'll do the work for you. Or call up one of your
friends to do so,' he spoke firmly.
‗But papa, you can't…'
Sikandar Usman walked out without listening to Salar, who grumbled loudly
and shut up in frustration. He knew his father would curtail his movement,
but he didn't expect to be locked up like this. He had thought that bringing
Saneeya into the picture would have convinced his own family as well as
Hashim Mubeen, and would take this onus off him. He was amazed when
his father revealed that Hashim Mubeen still did not accept his statement.
As he finished his breakfast, Salar sat there for a while pondering over
these developments. Not going to college meant being cooped up at home,
and he didn't want that. The thought put him in a foul mood. He pushed
away the food and went to his room.
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