What a Father

     Let me share another strange experience of my life. I am sure that the readers will be flabbergasted and shocked. 

     It was 1989 and incident happened at Gulgasth Multan, Pakistan. 

     That was a hot summer day and most of the people were retiring in their houses having the afternoon nap. Gulgasth is a posh area of Multan, Pakistan where generally well to do people live in their own houses. 

     The door bell of a house rang and the eldest son of the house, on his father's instructions,  went to the gate to enquire and see who was there. When he opened the gate, three dacoits, with guns in their hands, pushed him and came in. The dacoits placed the gun on the head of  the 15 years old boy and instructed him to take them in the house. So the boy turned, with face white with fear and trembling and crying he started moving towards the main door of the house. There was a yard in between the Gate and the entrance door of the house where beautiful grassy lawn was grown. The distance from the gate to the House’s main door was about 25 to 30 meters. Meanwhile, Mr. Kiani, the owner of the house and father of the boy, came out of house just to enquire who was there on the gate and why is it taking so long. Mr. Kiani, when saw his son on the gun point and Dacoits, immediately realized the situation, ran back in the house, closed and locked the main door of the house and hid himself inside the house. 

     The dacoits, noticing that, pushed the boy hurriedly to the door and while the gun was still on the boys head, demanded from Mr. Kiani to open the door or less they will kill the boy. Mr. Kiani refused. The boy started begging his father for his life and kept requesting him to open the door and give whatever the dacoits were demanding. But, his cries were going waste on the deaf ear of his father. The father rather told the dacoits that even if they kill the boy, he will not open the door. The dacoits fired and placed a bullet in the leg of the boy. But still the father did not listen. The dacoits told him that they will count ten and then will shoot and this time kill his son. They started the count. The dacoits were about to shoot the boy that five/ six people, who were coming out of a nearby mosque after offering their “Asar” prayers, heard the pistol fire and the cries of the boy and came to the gate. After realizing the situation, they challenged the dacoits. The dacoits immediately released their hostage and fled. However, the Mohalla people successfully chased and caught the dacoits and handed them over to the police. 

     This entire episode was narrated by the boy infront of the trial court as a witness statement, where the dacoits were being tried, and I was one of the Judges. 

     I still wonder, how in his life, Mr. Kiani could have faced his son to whom he almost sacrificed in lieu of his material belongings. And mind you, we confirmed that it was the real father of the boy.

     Some how I still cannot believe that a Father could be so cruel to his own Son. What do you think?

Posted by Zaffar Iqbal Durrani

STRANGE FATHER

     Sometimes there happens such incident which results in defying the normal laid down norms of life and affections. And a person while going through it is surprised that how the normal standards of love of parents are not followed. 

     It was somewhere in 1981 and I was posted at Peshawar. One afternoon, one of my senior Mr. Majid told me that on the coming weekend he shall be going to Islamabad to drop his wife to her parents and he requested that as he shall be alone on the return journey so could I accompany him. He was travelling by road in his car, which was a Toyota Corona. I agreed. 

     When we finalized the program, another senior colleague of ours namely Mr. Zubair also requested to join. As it was a spacious car and he requested that he wanted to bring his wife and kid from Islamabad. Mr. Majid agreed and program was finalized. 

     We all reached Islamabad on Saturday evening as planned and stayed a night. It was the night of Saturday – Sunday. In the afternoon, Mr. Zubair called Mr. Majid that due to some commitment he cannot go back on Sunday evening as scheduled and requested that if we can wait for the night and he will reach us by 4 a.m and then the return journey can be made. Mr. Majid agreed as the distance from Islamabad to Peshawar was 166 km and we could have traversed that in about three hours. As we had to reach and attend the office at 07:30 a.m so we could safely start by 4.a.m and reach by 7 a.m 

     We started our return journey on early Monday Morning at 4.a.m and I recited the Quran verses for the safe journey. Mr. Majid was driving and I was sitting next to him on the second seat. Mr. Zubair, his wife and his 4 months old son were on the rear seat. One peculiar thing about Mr. Zubair was that he was completely bald but, he used to wear a very nice hear piece (wig) and was very sensitive that nobody should learn about his baldness. Like all bald people, he was also living in an illusion that nobody knows about his baldness. As somebody very rightly said, “ The bald person who wears a wig doesn't know that all those who know him knows that he is bald, all those who are not known to him couldn't care less whether he is bald or with hair. Ultimately he is actually making himself a fool by wearing a wig and showing that he is not bald.” 

     It was a very nice highway between Islamabad and Peshawar. As it was summers, so the dawn was already there. The car lights and the natural light were such that we could see almost 200 yards deep. As normal, during the night, many stray dogs, cats, rabbits and foxes were killed by the vehicles plying on the highways and their carcasses were lying on the road. Many crows were having their morning meal through those carcasses. 

     During the journey a discussion with Mr. Majid generated. It came up that crow is a very intelligent bird and can sense danger quite early therefore; it is difficult to kill it. Mr. Majid did not agree to my point of view and so it was decided that to prove me wrong he will have to hit by his car one of the crows having meal on the road by the animal carcasses. It was agreed between us that in case he succeeds, I will throw a party in his honour otherwise he will have to give a treat to me. He was driving the car at the speed of almost 130 – 120 kilometres/ hour. From almost suburbs of Islamabad he started to make an attempt to hit a crow sitting on the road having its share of meat from the dead animals. He failed every time he tried,  as the crow could sense it quite early and fly out of danger. 

     While we were approaching “Pubbi”, a small town near Peshawar, that suddenly I realized that the car was moving towards the right side of the road, the wrong side which was meant for the incoming traffic. No crow etc was in sight and when I looked towards Mr. Majid, I was horrified to see that Mr. Majid was sleeping while driving and the speed of the car was almost 140 km/ hour. I shouted to wake him up and tried to steer the steering of the car to the left to bring the car on the right track but, it was too late as the car was going very fast and the reaction time was too less. 

     There was a Jungle of willow trees on the right side of the road, about 50 yards away from the road brim. The right brim of the road was almost 12 feet higher then the normal earth level. When the car’s right wheel crossed the right brim of the road, the car flew in the air, had a summer salt and landed with a bang on its roof. At that time nobody less me was awake in the car. While the car was in the air that I again recited the Quran verses and prayed for ALLAH’s mercy. 

     On landing, I immediately came out of the car from the front by kicking the Windshield glass and making the way. I then pulled Mr. Majid out and then ran at the back of the car. The roof and doors were collapsed and there was no way out. I made way from the rear screen glass, pulled the child and the mother out and shouted for Mr. Zubair to immediately come out, as I could see he is alright. I was hurrying as there was a danger of the car catching fire. 

     It was then that when I noticed the strange behaviour of Mr. Zubair. He, immediately after coming out of the car, started searching something in the rubble of the car and the earth around it. I told him to calm down as I have his kid with me but he kept searching in the dirt. Suddenly I saw that he found what he was searching. It was his "wig". He took it out of the dirt, cleaned it and fixed it on his bald head. Then and after then he remembered as to what has happened and where were we. He then started shouting, “Where is my son, where is my son, has somebody seen my son.” I told him that his son is alright, handed his son to him and also told him to look after his wife who was also sitting on the ground there in a state of shock”. 

     By now my readers have realized what I was trying to highlight. That man Mr. Zubair, in a state of emergency, was least bothered about his own son and wife. He was more concerned to locate his wig and to hide his bald head. 

     ALLAH saved us all from any injury. The car was totally damaged and the people of the area, who gathered around us, were amazed to see the Miracle of ALLAH. The only person injured in this accident was me and that too had a minor injury in shape of a cut on my arm which I got while coming out of the car by breaking the front glass. It was bleeding but I tied my handkerchief on it and got is treated afterwards.

Posted by Zaffar Iqbal Durrani