Posheeda (پوشیدَہ) -
Concealed; Hidden
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Marwan Qureshi, a commando in the Indian army had two goals set in life. One, not to let his father's poisonous words get to him and two, spend the rest of his life serving his...
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*****
"Zarman mamu ne jo sea side pe factories develop ki thi, woh amma ki help se ki thi. Kaam ke dauran, mamu ne amma ko 20% shares dene ki baat ki thi aur woh pakki bhi ho gayi thi, lekin jab factories started making more profit than what they had assumed in the start, amma ne mamu se shares badane ki baat ki aur mamu ne mana kar diya."
The voice echoed through the recording in Ziah's phone. Badar felt his blood rampaging against the nerves on hearing his voice and the exact words that he had spoken to her when she had come seeking for answers. Khurshida begum felt her shoulders tensing while her frantic eyes found her son's who had his head hung low and jaw clenched.
"Initially, I didn't know myself ki amma ko tumpe itni daya kyu aa rahi thi but see these-"
There was a pause and rustling of papers was heard before Badar continued,
"These are the contract documents from a decade back. Yaha pe saaf-saaf likha hai ki out of the rest 80%, 10% would go to charity on an annual basis and 15% was for mami aur baki 65% was under your name. The clause also states that when you pass the age of 21, the money that was kept under the factory's name would be transferred to your account based on the shares and their values.
Amma had subtly asked mamu for your hand in marriage when he didn't budge about the share ratio and your father rejected the proposal too. Paisa hai, amma aise hi haath se nahi jane de sakti thi, so in rage and feeling wronged, she hired a few men."
No voice was heard after that because what Badar was trying to imply was crystal clear.
The recording was stopped and taking in a shaky breath, Ziah spoke about how much information she had been able to collect on the case of her parents sudden death and how the file was closed after just 2 months of investigation when clues were found.
"The copy of the contract is in Badar's cupboard- in the hidden locker below the shirt section."
A few constables followed the lead while Badar paled second after second. Khurshida begum had fallen silent half way through the ordeal and remained put in her place.
"As for Badar, here are the proofs that'll be enough to lead him behind the bars for years."
It was Aliya who spoke. She had contacted Major Mathur via her phone and had asked for the needed documents related to the women exploitation case. Ziah's file could be found within it too and it wouldn't be tough for the police to connect the dots of the remaining scenario.
Transferring the data from her phone to the legal authorities email, Aliya took in a sigh of relief when she saw the two being dragged away. The contract had been confiscated, the nameless wedding was stopped, the criminals were punished and justice was served.
It took more than a decade for Ziah to bring justice to her parents death- a murder.
Money often blinded people, erased the line between what was right and wrong and crumbled relations to an extent that even their foundation couldn't be seen.
