chapter 11

"Mujhe bohot kaam hai-main Imama ke hostel nahi ja sakta, Hashim ne naaraazgi se jawab diya."Driver tumhare saath ja raha hai; agar tum nahi ja sakte toh woh parcel de aayega. Mausam khatam hone wala hai-agar ab usse kapde nahi mile toh bekaar pade rahenge, aur mujhe pata nahi woh agle kab aayegi, Salma ne lambe explanation di,"Thik hai-main le jaunga. Agar mujhe waqt na mila, toh driver ke haath bhej doonga, Hashim maan gaya.Lahore mein usne bohot busy din guzara aur jab woh free hua toh paanch baj chuke the. Usne faisla kiya ke parcel khud Imama ko dekar aaye aur hostel gaya. Admission ke baad pehli dafa woh yahan aaya tha.Usne gatekeeper ke zariye usko paigham bheja aur intezar karne laga. Das minute guzar gaye...phir pandrah, phir bees: woh bechain ho raha tha.Isse pehle ke woh doosra paigham bhejta, usne dekha ke gatekeeper wapas aa raha hai ek ladki ke saath. Jab woh kareeb aaye, usne dekha ke woh Imama ki bachpan ki dost Islamabad se hai.."Assalaam Alaikum, Uncle!" Javeria ne kaha."W'alaikum Assalaam, beta-kaisi ho?""Main bilkul theek hoon, shukriya.""Main Imama ke liye kuch kapde laaye hoon-uski maa ne bheje hain jab main Lahore aa raha tha. Main yahan lagbhag ek ghante se intezar kar raha hoon, lekin woh nahi aayi," Hashim ne shikayat bhari awaaz mein kaha."Uncle, Imama apni doston ke saath shopping karne gayi hai. Aap mujhe parcel de dijiye, main usko de doongi."Usne parcel Javeria ko diya aur alvida kehkar chala gaya. Javeria hostel wapas gayi. Uske chehre se muskurahat gaayab thi aur uski pareshani saaf nazar aa rahi thi. Jab woh apne kamre ki taraf mod gayi, toh uski muskurahat warden ko dekhte hi wapas aa gayi . Se"Kya tumne uske walid se baat ki?" warden ne poocha. Haan. Fikar ki koi baat nahi-woh Islamabad mein apne ghar par hai. Asal mein, usne mujhe kuch kapde diye the jo meri family ne bheje the; jab woh Lahore aa rahe the, Imama ne kaha ke le aaye. Lekin jab yahan aaye toh usne Imama ko poocha." Ek saans mein, Javeria ne kai jhoot bol diye. Warden ne sakoon ka saans liya."Shukr hai! Main bohot fikr mein thi... usne mujhse weekend ke liye ghar jaane ke baare mein kaha tha... woh kahan ho sakti thi?"Jaise hi Javeria kamre mein daakhal hui, Rabia uth gayi."Kya khabar hai? Woh Islamabad mein hai, hai na?""Nahi," Javeria ne mayoosi se kaha."Ya Khuda!" Rabia ne javeria ke kandhon par haath rakhe. "Woh kahan gayi ho sakti hai?""Mujhe kya pata? Usne mujhe sirf itna hi kaha tha ke woh ghar ja rahi hai-lekin woh nahi gayi. Toh kahan gayi? Imama aisi ladki nahi hai," Javeria ne parcel apne bistar par phek diya."Tumne warden ko kya kaha?" Rabia ne pareshani se poocha."Maine warden ko kya kaha? Jhoot bola; aur kya kar sakti thi? Agar main usko batati ke woh Islamabad mein nahi hai, toh hungama ho jata-woh police bula leti.""Aur tumne Uncle ko kya kaha?" Rabia ne poocha."Usko bhi yahi jhoot bola ke woh shopping kar rahi hai.""Ab kya hoga?" Rabia bohot pareshan thi"Mujhe fikr hai ke agar woh waapis nahi aayi, toh main musibat mein pad jaungi. Sab log samjhenge ke main uske saath mili hui thi-ke mujhe uska programme pata tha aur main uske walid aur warden se jhoot boli."Javeria ki pareshani badh rahi thi."Kya Imama ka accident ho gaya hoga? Woh aisi ladki nahi hai..." Rabia ko naya dar laga."Ab hum kya kar sakte hain? Hum is baare mein kisi se baat bhi nahi kar sakte," Javeria ne apni ungliyan chabate hue kaha."Zainab se baat karte hain," Rabia ne tajweez di.huda ke liye, Rabia, ek baar toh samajhdaari dikhao! Hum Zainab se baat karke kya hasil karenge?" Javeria bohot tang aayi thi."Toh intezar karte hain. Shayad woh raat tak ya kal subah waapis aa jaye-phir koi masla nahi hoga. Aur agar woh nahi aayi, toh humein warden ko sach batana padega." Rabia ne soch samajh kar kaha. Javeria ne kuch nahi kaha lekin uske chehre par fikar saaf nazar aa rahi thi.Javeria aur Rabia us raat mushkil se so payi, woh dar ke mare huye the. Agar Imama waapis na aayi toh kya hoga? Yeh sawal unke zehan mein dar ki tarah chha gaya tha. Unhe apne career barbad hote nazar aa rahe the aur unhe pata tha ke unke gharwalo ka kya reaction hoga-unpar ilzaam aur tanqeed hogi ke unhone Imama ke saath milke uske walid ko sach nahi bataya aur warden se sach chupaya. Unhone socha bhi nahi tha ke Hashim Mubeen aur uske khandan ka reaction kya hoga jab. unhe sach ka samna hoga woh in do doston ke kirdar ko kaise dekhenge. Hostel ki doosri ladkiyan unke baare mein baat karengi aur agar yeh police ka mamla ban gaya, toh unhe jurm mein shamil hone ka ilzaam diya jayega. Jab unhone in natayej ke baare mein socha, unke baalon mein jhanjhanahat si aagayi.Phir se wahi sawal uthha Imama aakhir kahan gayi thi? Aur kyun? Woh uske guzre hue rawaiye ka tajziya karne lage. Pichle ek saal mein woh kitni badal gayi thi: woh unke saath bahar jaana chor chuki thi aur hamesha pareshan aur chirchin rehti thi; uski padhai mein bhi dilchaspi kam ho gayi thi aur woh bilkul khud mein sama gayi thi"Yaad hai jab usne humare saath shopping par jaane se inkaar kar diya tha aur kahin aur chali gayi thi? Mujhe yakin hai ke woh usi jagah gayi hai, aur hum bewakoofon ki tarah uski har baat maan gaye," Rabia ne yaad dilaaya."Lekin Imama aisi nahi thi-maine use bachpan se jaana hai. Woh kabhi aisi nahi thi," Javeria ne ab bhi uspar shaq nahi kiya."Badalne mein zyada waqt nahi lagta insaan ko bas kamzor kirdar ki zaroorat hoti hai." Rabia ke shak un par haavi ho rahe the."Rabia, usne apni pasand se mangni ki thi-woh aur Asjad ek doosre ko bohot pasand karte hain-phir woh aisa kyun karegi," Javeria ne apni dost ka difa karne ki koshish ki.Phir tum mujhe batao ke woh kahan hai? Mainne use makhi bana kar diwar par nahi chipka diya. Uske walid yahan usse milne aaye hain aur woh apne ghar se aaye hain, to zahir hai ke woh wahan nahi hai aur usne humse kaha tha ke woh ghar ja rahi hai." Rabia ki awaaz mein becharapan tha."Ho sakta hai ke uska accident ho gaya ho... ke woh ghar nahi pohnch payi ho...""Jab bhi woh ghar jaati hai, toh hamesha call karti hai ke uska bhai use bus stop se lene aaye. Agar is baar bhi call ki hoti, toh woh log aaraam se nahi baithe hote agar woh ghar nahi pohnchti-woh hostel ko call karte. Uske walid ke rawaiye se lagta tha ke usne weekend ke liye ghar jaane ka koi plan nahi banaya tha." Rabia ne Javeria ke khayalat ko rok diya."Haan, woh mahine mein do baar ghar nahi jaati, lekin is baar usne faisla kiya ke jaaye... agle hi hafte. Asal mein, usne warden se khaas ijazat li thi. Zaroor kuch na kuch galat hai." Javeria ki fikrein phir se jaag gayi."Humein uske saath saath buri museebat ka samna kama padega. Humne uske walid ko sach nahi bataya ke woh yahan nahi hai; unhone jo bhi karna tha kar lete... yeh unki problem hoti. Kam az kam hum is museebat mein nahi hote." Rabia ne muttering ki."Waise bhi, ab hum kya kar sakte hain? Subah tak intezaar karte hain-agar woh nahi aayi, toh humein warden ko sach batana padega." Javeria kamre mein idhar udhar chal rahi thi.Unhone poori raat baatein ki, fikr ki ek pal ke liye bhi nahi soye. Agle din unhone classes attend nahi ki-unki haalat dekhtay huye jaana bekaar tha. Imama har Saturday ko subah nau baje tak waapas aa jaati thi jab woh weekend ke liye ghar jaati thi, lekin ab tak uska koi pata nahi tha.Rabia aur Javeria ne apna hosh kho diya tha do baj kar tees minute ho chuke the aur woh ab tak nahi aayi thi. Safed chehre aur kaanpte hue, woh warden ke kamre ki taraf gaye, apne bayan banate hue. Warden ke kamre se thodi doori par unhone dekha ke Imama aram se aa rahi thi. Bag kandhe par aur folder haath mein tha, woh yaqeenan college se waapis aayi thi. Javeria aur Rabia ko laga jaise zameen unke neeche se khisak gayi thi jo achanak mazboot ho gayi thi. Unki ruki hui saansein wapas aayi aur agle din ke akhbaaron ki cheekhti hue headlines achanak ghayab ho gyi.       Continue ✍️✍️✍️  Â