ISHQ

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3

Mushtaq glared at his ammi and Sajal stomped her foot in anger as she sprinted off to her room enraged by the sudden declaration which was uncalled.

"Mera inkaar hai." He declared getting up, his eyes getting red in anger.

He went away not sparing another glance to the people in the room whilst Ruksana was frozen.

Her every khwab was getting broken.

She couldn't let this happen!

Never!

"Bhabhi aap yeh kaise kar sakti hain!?" She questioned, her eyes spitting fire and voice so loud making Nushrat Begum grip the armrest of the couch tightly in rage.

No one has the right to defy her faisla.

"Is riyasat ki begum se sawal karne wali tum kaun hoti hou, Ruksana bibi?" Nushrat taunted still sitting making Ruksana fume.

"Aap janti hain. Aap sab janti hain ki main kya chahti hoon. Arey meri Ramsha banegi Mushtaq ki dulhan na ki koi airi gairi ladki. Is riyasat ki agli begum banne ka haq sirf meri beti ko hai. Sirf meri beti ko!" Ruksana screamed her viscous thoughts out making Nushrat Begum smile mockingly.

"Is riyasat ka ek ek patta humari marzi se hilta hai. Agli begum bhi humari marzi ki hou gi. Baat khatam." Saying so she stood up from the seat, not giving any explanation to anyone as she left.

Arifa and Kazim just looked at eachother. They knew Mushtaq was a accha ladka but their Sajal would never qubool this haweli and him.

They couldn't inkaar to badi bhabhi due to her ehsaanat on them but they knew their beti was more than capable to do so.

Whereas Rashid was enraged due to the beizzati Sajal has put him to. Ramsha pouted, her eyes glistening with tears as she saw her brother pained expression behind the anger and her mother anger which she would have to endure later.

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"Tumhe malum tha na nawabzade ki tumhari Amma ye sazish rach rahi hain..." Sajal barged right inside his room making his anger reach its peak at the sight of her.

"Apni zubaan ko lagam dou aur niklo mere kamre se," Mushtaq told controlling his anger.

"Haan zuban tou tumhari sirf mere saamne chalti hai apni maa ke saamne tou tala lag jata hai," she further angered him making him breathe heavily as he held her arm pushing her to a nearby wall, scaring her for the first time.

"Apni aukat main raho ladki. Mere saamne zyada muh chalaya tou tumhari zaban khich lunga main." He growled digging his nails in her fabric clad arm.

"Zubani jang jeet nahi pa rahe hou tou yun physically hurt karoge? Nafrat hai mujhe tum jaise mardon se aur tumhari choti soch par. Dur hato aur aainda mere qareeb aaye tou tum jaan se haath dho baithoge." She roared digging her index finger in his chest catching him off guard as he stepped back instantly.

"Kamre main mere tum aayi thi. Aainda mat aana. Bhale hi tumhe fark pade ya na pade mujhey kisi bhi ladki ki izzat hawa main udte dekh sukoon nahi milega chahe vo ladki tum hi kyun na hou..."

"Tumhi kyun na ho se kya matlab hai tumhara? Aur kya tumhari izzat hawa main nahi ud skti ya pehle hi taar taar kar chuke hou nawabzade?" She further tried to rile him up, her smile widening as she saw his knuckles turning white in anger.

Gripping her arm in his grasp, he dragged her and threw her out of the room saying,

"Dafa hou mere kamre se aur nazron se,"

Before she could say anything the door was closed on her face making her stomp her feet in frustration as she yelled from outside,

"Dafa tou main hou jaungi magar yaad rakhna agar is nikah ko rokne ke liye tumhara qatl bhi karna pade... Tou manzoor hai mujhey."

Mushtaq threw a vase hearing her in his anger as he thought about her.

Allah qasam agar tum ladka hoti na Sajal toh mere haath se marr chuki hoti ab tak.

And for the first time he had a bachkana khayalat that she should have been ladka instead.

But they wouldn't be in this mess if she would have been a ladka.

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"Begum kyun kar rahi hain aisa? Aap kyun in bacchon ko rishtey main baandh rahi hain jis main dono ko aziyat ke siwa kuch naseeb nahi hou ga." Sakeena, Nushrat begum's most trusted mulazima who had seen her malkin go through everything in a young age and had been with her ever since, questioned.

"Sakeena, ye gaddi ki muhabbat hai. Tum nahi samjhogi..." Nushrat begum said with a far away expression.

"Aap samjhayen na is na-cheez ko. Kyunki aap tou kabhi lalchi nahi thi is ki..." Sakeena murmured.

"Begum ka auda sirf ek auda nahi hai Sakeena. Riyasat main nawab se zyada Begum ahem hai kyunki nawab sirf bahir ke mamlaton ko niptaten hain magar is riyasat ko toh ek begum chalati hai. Aise main ye auda agar kisi galat insaan ke haath lag jaye toh fir puri riyasat tamam ho jayegi."

"Humne apni puri zindagi is riyasat ko di hai. Apna ghar na basa sake iske karan. Dusri biwi the apne shouhar ki jise voh sirf ye riyasat sambhalne ke liye laye the kyunki unki pehli biwi ne tabaah kar diya tha ise. Apne aapko shouhar ki muhabbat se marhom rakha aur apni puri zindagi ise di. Hume aaj bhi yaad hai logon ki vo cheekhein, vo aansu jab humne is gaddi ko thama tha aur khud se vada kiya tha ki dobara kabhi yeh halat nahi aayegi yaha ke logon ki. Hum kaise is gaddi ko kisi aise insaan ko de dein jo ki iske qabil hi na hou? Mushtaq ki biwi toh koi bhi ban sakti hain magar is riyasat ki begum baane ke har ladki qabil nahi."

"Sajal bhale hi khule khayalat ki hai magar us main is gaddi ka lalach nahi hai. Uske andar logon ki madat karne ka jazba hai. Uske andar vo aag hai jo Mushtaq ko kaabu main rakh sakti hai. Vo Mushtaq ke har faisle ko farmabadaar biwi ki tarah nahi manegi balki vo uske galat faisle par uske khilaf jayegi. Vo nawab ko kaabu karne ke bajaye yahan ke logon ko apne kaabu main rakhegi." Nushrat begum sighed at the end of her long speech and Sakeena could only feel the pain of her malkin.

Everyone in the haweli was aware about what Alam Sheikh did to her. Nushrat begum belonged to a financially weaker family and Mushtaq's Dadajaan grabbed this opportunity by marrying her to his son as a doosri biwi.

Salma Alam Sheikh was a pious and soft hearted woman whose world revolved around her husband and just her husband. She was just a namesake begum who didn't take any of her responsibility nor fulfilled it leaving the riyasat in sailaab of taqleef and aziyat.

Nushrat Jahan became Nushrat Begum and began her era. Her husband never came to her and she didn't need any of his love. She was masroof in completing her responsibility towards her people.

Nor did Salma Alam Sheikh ever interrupted in this khel of siyasat. She never wanted any of these and was interested in her husband only.

Nushrat never blamed Salma for her incompetence towards fulfilling the duty of Begum.

But this made Nushrat realise that not every girl was made for this gaddi and not everyone was subjected to this taqat.

She had owed that she would handover this riyasat to someone capable of handling it and the taqat that came along with it.

"Magar begum ab kya?" Sakeena asked afraid but Nushrat Begum just smiled at the old lady,

"Bas dekhti jao ki hum apne dao kaise khelte hain,"

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I'm busy at the moment due to my exams. Keep patience and show your support please <3