Namal (English Translation) By Nimra Ahmed

Chpt 12: I gave a diamond to the queen

(Part 2)

The door opened to reveal a dark room. Faris flicked the switch, and the lights came on. Standing at the threshold, Zumar's eyes widened as if struck by an arrow. She walked forward, step by step, and turned her head. Though she had expected a scene like this, she hadn't anticipated its sheer scale. The room was filled with papers-countless papers. Three walls were covered with them. Notes, pictures, and newspaper clippings plastered everywhere. On the study table, alongside a lamp, were files and advanced equipment. There were two more laptops.

Zumar turned her face towards Faris, who was still watching her in the same way.

"What is this?" she asked.

"This is what I've been doing for the last four years," he replied.

Zumar's gaze returned to the paper-covered walls. There were pictures of many people. She recognized some of them: Justice Sikandar (the judge in Faris's case), ASP Sarmad Shah, Waris Ghazi's boss Ilyas Fatimi, and Dr. Tauqeer Bukhari (the one who operated on Saadi), along with his wife, Dr. Aimen Bukhari. There were other people she didn't recognize. She focused her eyes on Dr. Tauqeer's wife's picture and moved closer.

"So you really did know Dr. Tauqeer's wife. She was your..." Her eyes scanned the papers above and below the photo. "She was your psychiatrist!"

Faris remained silent.

"She testified in court that you confessed your crime in front of her. And... all these people-they are the ones who denied your bail and kept you from getting out of jail," Zumar said, looking at the wall from top to bottom. "You... you weren't idle these past four years."

Suddenly, Zumar's words caught in her throat. "You've been planning something, haven't you?"

Faris Tabir Ghazi nodded in confirmation. He now stood leaning against the doorframe, his arms folded across his chest. Zumar shifted her attention to another wall filled with more papers.

"And these people?" she asked. "Who are they?"

"Prison mates," he replied.

Zumar looked at the pictures in astonishment. "These are the criminals who would push you forward whenever they needed to fight or get something done in jail? They used your anger and aggression. But these people... what do they have to do with your... your plan?"

"Who told you they were using me?" Faris smiled faintly, and Zumar looked at him, startled.

"Zumar Bibi, someone once told me that your weakness is your anger. So, turn your weakness into your strength. That's what I've done for all these years. Do you really think I'm that foolish to jump into someone else's fight without thinking?"

Zumar stared at him, standing still, and then something clicked in her mind. "They didn't use you, you used them, didn't you?" Her lips pressed together, and it began to make sense.

"For four years in jail, I built relationships with these criminals, smugglers, hired killers, and drug dealers. I helped them with their problems, did favors for them, learned their weaknesses, and knew their strengths so that when the time came, I could use both. I was in a big pond with dirty fish. I needed their help to fight the crocodiles outside."

Leaning against the doorframe, Faris spoke with a wounded smile. "When I went to jail, I was alone, but when I came out, I had many contacts."

"And all of them will help you with your revenge?" Zumar asked.

"Exactly!" Faris shrugged.

Zumar moved around the room again, confusion mixed with amazement in her brown eyes. She glanced at the pictures again and said, "But these people-Dr. Aiman, ASP, and the others-they put you in jail because of your crimes, right? And..."