Namal | English Version

Part.8

Islamabad was bathed in the warm glow of dawn, and the sun was high in the sky when the trees began to sway gently. But in London, it was still early morning. In the lobby of the Grayton Hotel, there was a usual hustle and bustle. In a corner, a stout, suited man stood with a young man in a suit. The man seemed to be waiting for someone. Suddenly, the young man looked at his watch and addressed him. "The conference is about to start. Shall we go inside, Dr. Atta?"

"Just a little while longer. When are you returning to Islamabad, Khizr?"

"I'll leave after attending the conference. What time will you be free this evening?"

But before Khizr could respond, the young man's gaze drifted away, and he smiled as if recognizing someone. Khizr followed his gaze and saw Dr. Sara walking towards them.

"Are you waiting for Dr. Sara?" Khizr asked.

"Yes, I was supposed to meet her. She's coming from the internship."

Dr. Sara was a fair, pinkish complexioned woman with green eyes, around thirty-five years old, but not very slim or beautiful, rather cute with smiling eyes. Her hair was tied in a French braid. Her face had a simple and sincere expression. She recognized them and nodded as she approached.

"I'm so sorry, Dr. Atta, I'm running late. I had to leave my daughters in Islamabad. You know I don't get peace of mind if I don't talk to them in detail."

Dr. Atta smiled and introduced Khizr to Dr. Sara. "This is Khizr, and Dr. Sara Ghazi, a chemical engineer, the first Pakistani to do a PhD in process design for the Thar Coal Power Project, and she will represent our country in today's international energy seminar. In short, she's a rocket scientist."

After finishing the introduction, Dr. Atta proudly looked at the official's reaction. The official said, "I didn't like hearing about your credentials, madam, otherwise, it's been a great meeting. You visit the Planning Commission daily, madam." Khizr mentioned this after they had finished speaking. Sara smiled and nodded in agreement.

Dr. Atta seemed very pleased. "I don't interrupt elders, otherwise, I wouldn't have liked hearing my credentials at all," Sara said, then turned to Khizr. "Tell me, Khizr, how are the people at the Planning Commission?"

Khizr replied, "You'll hear about it, madam. You people have won the case against the IMF in the International Court. Congratulations are in order, though I think there can never be enough!"

"Yes, Khizr Sahib... The credit goes to the Governor Sahib, who fought the case at his own expense." She said with simplicity and happiness. "No doubt," Dr. Atta agreed, then asked as if remembering something. "Dr. Sara, someone asked me yesterday, so I thought I'd ask you, what happened to the murder case of your husband?" Sara's smile faded. Shadows fluttered in her eyes. She slightly shook her head. The Planning Commission official looked at Dr. Atta with a questioning gaze." Sara's husband, Warris Ghazi, was an NAB officer. He was murdered three or four years ago. His brother was the culprit." "Sara, was he punished?" Dr. Atta asked again. "Oh... I'm so sorry". Dr Atta feel embarrassed."I don't know if his brother committed the murder or not. Dr. Atta, everyone used to say... maybe something happened, but I didn't follow the case. I don't get involved in matters that might put my daughters' safety at risk." Mentioning someone's pain in a gathering, whether intentionally or unintentionally, always hurts. She was also depressed. "Excuse me, you had asked for some documents... I said I'd email them, but you haven't received them yet." Khizr changed the subject. They were still standing in the lobby, and the atmosphere had become somewhat mournful. In a moment, the three of them disconnected from their surroundings. Sara smiled again. "I'm sorry, Khizr. My senior engineer is on leave. I'll remind him when I return to Islamabad in a few days. He'll email you." "Oh, I was asking. Your senior engineer is always with you, but he's not visible today." "He's busy with some personal work." Her forced smile gradually turned into a natural one. Khizr touched his forehead. "I always forget his name when I'm about to leave. Hopefully, I won't miss his email."

"Saadi... Saadi Yousuf!" Sara reminded him, then looked at both of them with a cheerful face. "Let's go inside, we have a lot to show and tell the world about energy today." She said and moved forward, and both followed her. However, Dr. Atta was still regretting bringing up the previous topic, and Khizr remembered and said...

"Exactly... Saadi Yousuf.... He's a very competent guy. I met him once." As they walked away, their voices faded into the hustle and bustle of the lobby.

_________________

Don't forget to vote!