Abdul karim is the name a fruit vendor who worked in the busy streets of Karachi, the chaotic port city of Pakistan. He belonged to a far off rural village of Sindh from where he escaped the wrath of the local landlord for not submitting to his ill desires of handing over his teen aged daughter to the Vadera( Land lord) of his village for his nefarious desires. Abdul is father of three daughters and a son who is youngest of them all. His eldest offspring is the same teen aged girl for whom he left his village to settle in the city. At karachi he managed his household by renting a shack alongside a main drain of the city while he started selling fruits on a rented vendor slot of a "thaikaydar" (contractor). He used to pay half of his net income which would amount to 600 rupees approx 6/7 US dollars per day to the "thaikaydar". Managing his household was a challenging ask in this meager income viz a viz his expenditures. Razia, his wife used to sew the local well off ladies clothes on a manual sewing machine in order to meet the gap of his husband's earnings and their very basic necessary expenditures which consisted of food and utilities. The shack they lived in lack running clean water for which their two elder daughters used to travel miles of distance to a nearby city government water filtration plant, where they wait for hours at times to fill their jerrycans. Life for their family goes on as that of many alike them in the shacks and shanty towns around the globe.
Ahmad is the son of a local businessman living at Clifton, Karachi's posh seaside residential estate. Ahmad's villa at the beach is manned by six household staff or as per the local jargon, servants including an armed guard at the gates. He drives a SUV to his college and rides a horse in the evening at the beach with his friends. The weekend nights are filled with endless parties, girls and booze. His father is friends with the local politicians of the ruling party and the elite of the city, so there are no issues with consuming liquor or drugs while partying and having sex with girls for him in an otherwise Islamic Republic where an ordinary citizen can even be sentenced with death by stoning under the Shariah Law for such offences. But life is good for Ahmad as is the case with all alike him in Pakistan or any where in the world, in particular the third world countries, rampant with corruption. Law, Justice, Luxuries and everything else associated with the concept of good life, all are for sale in these parts of the world if you have the money to pay the price and connections to protect you desires and at times inconvenient crimes.
On a sweaty hot and humid summer Friday evening, Abdul is returning home from work. He is carrying a sac of floor he desperately requires for his kids as they have not eaten "roti"(bread) for three days now. He was spending all his income on his little boy, who is suffering from heat stroke. So precious to him is this only son in a society where females in particular of his class are persecuted and at times discriminated with ruthless attitudes. His son is the only hope he is left with for a life of solace in his latter years like all his mates on the roadside dreams. Due to the load on his back of the floor sac and bag of his son's medicines in his hand he is not much able to concentrate on his path. While crossing a main road intersection devoid of any pedestrian overhead bridge, an over speeding SUV hit him right in the middle. The SUV speeds away from the scene without even stopping for an inquiry or offering help. There lay Abdul in blood and whitish brown floor tuning bloody from the torn bag. Clutching in his hands were the medicines of his son, still intact. A crowd of on lookers is standing around him. Someone calls, "Edhi", The volunteer ambulance service. ( Largest in the world of it's kind private social service organization ). The ambulance arrives in a short time and picks up the unconscious Abdul. The sac of floor now completely red and torn lay on the road. Abdul was unconscious in the ambulance on it's way to the hospital, but still clutching upon the medicines in his hands. So strong are the feelings and desires for recovery of his beloved son in his very subconscious that he is not letting go of the medicines for his son.
The SUV after hitting the pedestrian rushes to the seaside estate of Clifton's elegant villa directly. The young teen aged driver is heavily drunk but knows where to reach in emergency as such for protection from the persecution of his crime he just committed. Lucky for him his father is at home having cocktails with his friend who happens to be the local Police Chief as well. his father had just bought the chief an his complete family a luxury vacation and shopping trip to Dubai. The teen aged driver approaches his father directly with the news of the incident. The teen aged boy who is no other but Ahmad as you have guessed by now is consoled by his father while he narrates the incident to his friend, the Police Chief and seeks, rather demand his unconditional help. The Chief explains to the filthy rich father and son the complexity of the issue as the city police liaison department, an organization headed by technocrats have got CCTV cameras installed in the complete city in particular the road junctions. The cameras he informed must have recorded the accident and the whole scene which can be traced back to Ahmad in an investigation.
Abdul had lost huge amount of blood as witnessed by the onlookers at the scene of the accident cum crime while the blood soaked torn floor bag was telling the grave tale. The extreme loss of blood lead to Abdul karim's death as was reported by the doctors to the Police investigating Officer. The incident was indeed recorded by the CCTV and the SUV was traced back to Ahmad's father by late in the night. The Edhi ambulance when acquired Abdul's address from his wallet reached there with his dead body to his shack. Razia and the kids were worried sick by than due to delayed absence of Abdul. Abdul's son was also in no good shape with fever running in his body of 105 degree. The dead body played havoc with their hopes which were dying away with the light of the horizon. The funeral was taken over by "Edhi" volunteers while they also took Abdul's son to the Hospital Emergency. It seemed the angels were away or too busy for reasons only known to God for a divine intervention when Abdul'son, of whom medicines he died with while clutching them in his hands went to join his father in the afterlife too early. Razia and her daughters could not believe their agony. Few hours had tuned their lives up side down like a thunderbolt hitting them directly.
The police after tracing he SUV involved in the hit and run accident arrived late in the night at the posh clifton villa to be greeted by a strange but convenient situation for the owners. As is the case in the third world countries, there is always a solution for everything if you have the money in your wallet. The Police Chief suggested his friend to register the theft of Ahmad's SUV in an earlier time frame of the day. The illegal black tinted glass of the SUV won't prove Ahmad to be driving the SUV. In case of any witness of the crime, he/she can be either bought or taken care of by paid thugs available all over the city. Ahmad could be admitted in a private hospital for suffering from some unknown virus and proven to be in the hospital at the time of crime. As for the SUV, it would be parked at any far off location on the beach by Ahmad's father's driver/servant. If caught by the Police en route, this servant will confess to the crime himself. The issue can than be resolved by paying "Qasas" or blood money to the victim's family as per the law and few thousands rupees ( few hundred dollars) for this servant and all effected parties will do the trick for him to keep his mouth shut and stay in lockup for few days. This matter was exactly resolved in the same manner as advised and directed by the Police Chief who facilitated the process at each step. Even the driver of the SUV who went to park it got through unchecked and the SUV was recovered and handed back to the owners the very next day. How convenient.
Ahmad's father was mad at his son's extravagant lifestyle coupled with his ill habits. He arranged for him to be admitted in a private college coming fall at London where he would complete an MBA in order to look after the family business in time. The decision was exactly as per the liking and expectations of Ahmad as common with his class of society. Started thus, a series of farewell parties for Ahmad by his friends and family. the whole accident scenario but became a bad memory for Ahmad and his dad who enforced upon Ahmad to take along a driver once he is too drunk to drive, silly boy.
Razia and her daughters are now living in a one room shack in the same locality as they can not afford their old shack after their father's death. There are days when they don't have enough to eat and are forced to divide a single roti among them taken with water. Razia has got the soul of a woman who is in habit to fight and live on against odds of worst nature. She is the type of third world urban warrior soul who suffers but rough it out day after day like many around her. She is strangely contended with even a life as drastic and poor as her's. She prays five time a day as per her Muslim faith and every time asks her "Allah" for better life for her daughters than her's, forgiveness for the soul of her husband, fortitude over the loss of his family but above all, for "Divine Justice" for her pain and suffering for those who are responsible. As "Waiting For Divine Justice" is the only hope for her kind and without hope, no one can live a life, not under any circumstances, least those of Razia's.
Ahmad is the son of a local businessman living at Clifton, Karachi's posh seaside residential estate. Ahmad's villa at the beach is manned by six household staff or as per the local jargon, servants including an armed guard at the gates. He drives a SUV to his college and rides a horse in the evening at the beach with his friends. The weekend nights are filled with endless parties, girls and booze. His father is friends with the local politicians of the ruling party and the elite of the city, so there are no issues with consuming liquor or drugs while partying and having sex with girls for him in an otherwise Islamic Republic where an ordinary citizen can even be sentenced with death by stoning under the Shariah Law for such offences. But life is good for Ahmad as is the case with all alike him in Pakistan or any where in the world, in particular the third world countries, rampant with corruption. Law, Justice, Luxuries and everything else associated with the concept of good life, all are for sale in these parts of the world if you have the money to pay the price and connections to protect you desires and at times inconvenient crimes.
On a sweaty hot and humid summer Friday evening, Abdul is returning home from work. He is carrying a sac of floor he desperately requires for his kids as they have not eaten "roti"(bread) for three days now. He was spending all his income on his little boy, who is suffering from heat stroke. So precious to him is this only son in a society where females in particular of his class are persecuted and at times discriminated with ruthless attitudes. His son is the only hope he is left with for a life of solace in his latter years like all his mates on the roadside dreams. Due to the load on his back of the floor sac and bag of his son's medicines in his hand he is not much able to concentrate on his path. While crossing a main road intersection devoid of any pedestrian overhead bridge, an over speeding SUV hit him right in the middle. The SUV speeds away from the scene without even stopping for an inquiry or offering help. There lay Abdul in blood and whitish brown floor tuning bloody from the torn bag. Clutching in his hands were the medicines of his son, still intact. A crowd of on lookers is standing around him. Someone calls, "Edhi", The volunteer ambulance service. ( Largest in the world of it's kind private social service organization ). The ambulance arrives in a short time and picks up the unconscious Abdul. The sac of floor now completely red and torn lay on the road. Abdul was unconscious in the ambulance on it's way to the hospital, but still clutching upon the medicines in his hands. So strong are the feelings and desires for recovery of his beloved son in his very subconscious that he is not letting go of the medicines for his son.
The SUV after hitting the pedestrian rushes to the seaside estate of Clifton's elegant villa directly. The young teen aged driver is heavily drunk but knows where to reach in emergency as such for protection from the persecution of his crime he just committed. Lucky for him his father is at home having cocktails with his friend who happens to be the local Police Chief as well. his father had just bought the chief an his complete family a luxury vacation and shopping trip to Dubai. The teen aged driver approaches his father directly with the news of the incident. The teen aged boy who is no other but Ahmad as you have guessed by now is consoled by his father while he narrates the incident to his friend, the Police Chief and seeks, rather demand his unconditional help. The Chief explains to the filthy rich father and son the complexity of the issue as the city police liaison department, an organization headed by technocrats have got CCTV cameras installed in the complete city in particular the road junctions. The cameras he informed must have recorded the accident and the whole scene which can be traced back to Ahmad in an investigation.
Abdul had lost huge amount of blood as witnessed by the onlookers at the scene of the accident cum crime while the blood soaked torn floor bag was telling the grave tale. The extreme loss of blood lead to Abdul karim's death as was reported by the doctors to the Police investigating Officer. The incident was indeed recorded by the CCTV and the SUV was traced back to Ahmad's father by late in the night. The Edhi ambulance when acquired Abdul's address from his wallet reached there with his dead body to his shack. Razia and the kids were worried sick by than due to delayed absence of Abdul. Abdul's son was also in no good shape with fever running in his body of 105 degree. The dead body played havoc with their hopes which were dying away with the light of the horizon. The funeral was taken over by "Edhi" volunteers while they also took Abdul's son to the Hospital Emergency. It seemed the angels were away or too busy for reasons only known to God for a divine intervention when Abdul'son, of whom medicines he died with while clutching them in his hands went to join his father in the afterlife too early. Razia and her daughters could not believe their agony. Few hours had tuned their lives up side down like a thunderbolt hitting them directly.
The police after tracing he SUV involved in the hit and run accident arrived late in the night at the posh clifton villa to be greeted by a strange but convenient situation for the owners. As is the case in the third world countries, there is always a solution for everything if you have the money in your wallet. The Police Chief suggested his friend to register the theft of Ahmad's SUV in an earlier time frame of the day. The illegal black tinted glass of the SUV won't prove Ahmad to be driving the SUV. In case of any witness of the crime, he/she can be either bought or taken care of by paid thugs available all over the city. Ahmad could be admitted in a private hospital for suffering from some unknown virus and proven to be in the hospital at the time of crime. As for the SUV, it would be parked at any far off location on the beach by Ahmad's father's driver/servant. If caught by the Police en route, this servant will confess to the crime himself. The issue can than be resolved by paying "Qasas" or blood money to the victim's family as per the law and few thousands rupees ( few hundred dollars) for this servant and all effected parties will do the trick for him to keep his mouth shut and stay in lockup for few days. This matter was exactly resolved in the same manner as advised and directed by the Police Chief who facilitated the process at each step. Even the driver of the SUV who went to park it got through unchecked and the SUV was recovered and handed back to the owners the very next day. How convenient.
Ahmad's father was mad at his son's extravagant lifestyle coupled with his ill habits. He arranged for him to be admitted in a private college coming fall at London where he would complete an MBA in order to look after the family business in time. The decision was exactly as per the liking and expectations of Ahmad as common with his class of society. Started thus, a series of farewell parties for Ahmad by his friends and family. the whole accident scenario but became a bad memory for Ahmad and his dad who enforced upon Ahmad to take along a driver once he is too drunk to drive, silly boy.
Razia and her daughters are now living in a one room shack in the same locality as they can not afford their old shack after their father's death. There are days when they don't have enough to eat and are forced to divide a single roti among them taken with water. Razia has got the soul of a woman who is in habit to fight and live on against odds of worst nature. She is the type of third world urban warrior soul who suffers but rough it out day after day like many around her. She is strangely contended with even a life as drastic and poor as her's. She prays five time a day as per her Muslim faith and every time asks her "Allah" for better life for her daughters than her's, forgiveness for the soul of her husband, fortitude over the loss of his family but above all, for "Divine Justice" for her pain and suffering for those who are responsible. As "Waiting For Divine Justice" is the only hope for her kind and without hope, no one can live a life, not under any circumstances, least those of Razia's.
No comments:
Post a Comment