HIBА'S PERSPECTIVE

”اگر کبھی رات کے 3 بج کر 17 منٹ پر آپ کے فون پر ایسی کال آئے جس میں دوسری طرف سے آپ ہی کی آواز سنائی دے… تو خدا کے لیے فون مت اٹھائیے گا۔“ مجھے معلوم ہے یہ بات سننے میں کسی فلم یا ہارر کہانی جیسی لگتی ہے۔ لیکن جس رات یہ سب میرے ساتھ ہوا، اس رات کے بعد میں نے کبھی 3 بج کر 17 منٹ کو معمول کا وقت نہیں سمجھا۔ یہ واقعہ تقریباً دو سال پرانا ہے۔ اور آج بھی جب رات کو اچانک میری آنکھ کھلتی ہے، سب سے پہلے میری نظر موبائل کی اسکرین پر جاتی ہے۔ یہ دیکھنے کے لیے کہ وقت کیا ہوا ہے۔ کیونکہ کبھی کبھی انسان کسی بھوت سے نہیں ڈرتا… وہ صرف اس بات سے ڈرتا ہے کہ کہیں ماضی دوبارہ فون نہ کر دے۔ نوٹ: یہ کہانی ایک حقیقی واقعے سے متاثر ہو کر لکھی گئی ہے۔ رازداری کے پیش نظر تمام کرداروں کے نام، مقامات اور بعض حالات تبدیل کر دیے گئے ہیں۔ وہ پہلی کال اس وقت میری عمر تقریباً پچیس سال تھی۔ میں ایک مصروف شہر میں اپنی والدہ اور چھوٹے بھائی کے ساتھ رہتی تھی۔ ہماری زندگی بالکل عام تھی۔ دن دفتر، گھر کے کام، دوستوں کے پیغامات اور رات کو موبائل دیکھتے دیکھتے نیند۔ مجھے بھوتوں، جنات یا آسیب جیسی چیزوں پر خاص یقین نہیں تھا۔ ...

“So, what are you doing with your life?” It sounds like a simple question. But when you're in your 20s, sometimes those few words can feel like an entire interrogation. What are you studying? What job do you have? How much are you earning? When are you getting married? What's your plan for the future? And somehow, you're expected to have perfect answers to all of them. But what if you don't? What if you're still trying to figure yourself out? The truth is, your 20s can be one of the most confusing stages of life. You are old enough to be expected to make serious decisions, but still young enough to be unsure about what you actually want. And somehow, everyone around you seems to have an opinion about what you should be doing next. Your 20s Are Supposed to Be Your “Best Years”… Right? We're constantly told that our 20s are supposed to be exciting. “Build your career.” “Travel.” “Make money.” “Get a degree.” “Start a business.” “Find the right person.” “Buy a hous...

Are We Really Safe on Our Own Streets? Leaving Home Should Not Feel Like Taking a Risk. Every morning, millions of Pakistanis leave their homes. Students leave for universities . Parents leave for work . Women travel for education and jobs . Delivery riders leave to earn a living . People step outside to buy groceries, meet their families, attend classes or simply enjoy their lives. But before leaving, many of us do something without even thinking about it. We hide our mobile phones. We look around before taking out our wallets . We become suspicious when a motorcycle comes too close. We constantly check behind us . And when someone we love is travelling, we wait for that one message: "I have reached safely." “A simple message should bring happiness—not relief that someone survived the journey home.” Think about that for a moment. Why has reaching home safely become something we feel relieved about? Why has fear become such a normal part of our daily lives? A person sho...

  How Many More Victims Before We Act? Every day, somewhere in Pakistan, another child becomes a victim. A child is sexually abused . A child is harassed . A child disappears . A child is raped . Most of the times, a child is murdered after being abused. And then, for a few days, we see the photographs, the headlines, the social media posts and the public outrage. People demand justice. Hashtags trend. Politicians make statements. Authorities promise action. And then, slowly, the country moves on. But the victim’s family does not move on. The child who survived does not simply forget. And the next victim is already waiting somewhere in silence. We See the Victims. We See the Headlines. But Where Is the System? Pakistan has repeatedly witnessed heartbreaking cases involving children and women who have been sexually abused, raped, harassed and, in some cases, brutally murdered. The most painful part is not only that these crimes happen. It is that they continue to happen despite laws...