Children of War

Children of War

The medal ceremony was now over and there was no one in the East Corner of the National Security Council except her family and Imaan Bhaisaab's family. Naazneen, ever so kind, was consoling Harleen's crying father-in-law, and Veera and Satpal were talking to Ayaan and Shaira.

She sighed as she thought of Sartaaj's last moments, his eyes on her as bullets tore through him from the back. She remembered how his scars of seventeen years of captivity had haunted their marriage. She remembered how even after having Sartaaj back with her, how she and their family had spent almost six months trying to heal him. 

Surprised and a little scared, Harleen looked around to search for Arjun and heaved a sigh of relief when she saw him talking to Rohan. The two ten-year-olds were approached by Shobha and Vikram Singh, Rohan’s parents, and Afreen and Hussain, Siddhant's wife and brother-in-law.

Shobha said something that made the two boys upset and Rohan started arguing. A little curious, she went to them and heard Rohan beg for five more minutes to talk to Arjun.

"But...he hasn't... even played with Hussain," Rohan stammered and gestured in sign language. Rohan looked at Afreen, hoping she'd help his case, but Afreen simply smiled sadly. Harleen knew that Afreen had no control, she never had. Not on her fate and not in this country. She knew how life had played its worst hand with Afreen.

"Rohan.." Shobha rebuked, but Harleen placed her palm on Rohan's shoulder.

"Is everything ok?" she asked, avoiding Afreen and Vikram's eyes. She couldn't look at them without thinking of Siddhant.

"The Defense Minister wants to talk to us about Afreen's... situation." Harleen looked at Afreen, who grew interested in her own baby bump, "and Rohan won't come along. He wants to play with his friend," Shobha looked at Arjun and smiled.

"Is Rohan required? If not, I'll watch over them," Harleen offered. Shobha looked at Rohan, who nodded excitedly, and then at Hussain, who shrugged.

"If it's not too much trouble for you, can you look after Hussain?" Afreen asked meekly. 

Even though they had spoken after the medal ceremony, the atmosphere was heavy. It held the pain of the last six months, or probably of the last seventeen years. Two minutes of conversation, even though it was about their babies kicking their inner organs, wasn’t enough to overlook the pain. Harleen nodded. The three adults walked away while the three kids ran to the closest bench. Harleen sat on another bench, watching over the boys.

Rohan, now excited to have a cousin and a friend of his age, started explaining a game to the two boys. While Arjun listened to him carefully, Hussain’s eyes would flicker towards Harleen after every few seconds, as if he thought that she would come and pull Arjun away. Or worse, rebuke him and blame him for everything. But Harleen sat there with a calm expression on her face. She tried to smile encouragingly at the boy, but the flashes of the bullets hitting Sartaj surfaced again, so she just looked away.

She knew blaming Hussain or Afreen was pointless. The boy had suffered just as much as her, if not more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Vikram Singh had stepped into Harleen's house in Kishanganj six weeks after Sartaj's death, it had taken her every bit of self-restraint to not hit him, to not blame him for causing Sartaj's death by rescuing Siddhant from Pakistan. She had looked at him and Imaan Bhaisaab, as Vikram announced that Sartaj was awarded Sena Medal alongside Imaan and Vikram for their bravery during the Defence Hospital attack. 

"Is that it?" She had asked. Her Bauji winced at her tone, but Vikram stared at her calmly. 

"No, I'd like to talk to you and Imaan about something in private," he said.

 Veera and Satpal led Baauji and Arjun away. 

"Afreen is coming to India, probably on the same day as the ceremony. We need to figure out the logistics, so I can't exactly say when."

"Why do I care when that... Siddhan't wife is coming here? She is your relative." Harleen glared and then looked at Imaan, surprised at how he was ok with the news.

"Or is it that only I care that my husband was murdered because of Siddhant? Oh, sorry, it's Sadiq, right?" she continued.

"Harleen, I am not happy with the news either. But Afreen and Hussain aren't safe in Pakistan. We promised Sid...Sadiq that we'd keep his only family, who he had left behind in Pakistan, safe. Them, and his child." Imaan said. 

"You do remember that Lala, Afreen's father, is the reason why your brother is dead? That he is the reason why Naazneen Bhabhi can never be happy again?" she asked and then stopped when she saw Imaan's hand tremble. A symptom of his PTSD after 17 years of captivity. But to his credit, Imaan nodded.

“Have you heard of Stockholm Syndrome?” Vikram asked.

Harleen looked at him in confusion. She didn’t know such terms. Being an M.Com student, medical terms were beyond her understanding. She only knew about PTSD because her husband had suffered from it, too.

“It’s when the victim starts empathizing with his perpetrator. He starts connecting with his perpetrator emotionally. I cannot explain why, but in this case, Siddhant... Sadiq emphasized Lala’s loss after he got the news that Hussain had died in the Peshawar school attacks. It’s a different story that Lala had lied to him and had used the innocent relationship of friendship between Sadiq and Hussain to manipulate him into doing his bidding.” Vikram explained.

“After Sartaj hit Sadiq after being threatened by the Pakistani officers, he had assumed that he was dead from the injuries, but Lala saved him and moved Imaan and Sartaj away. Lala convinced him that Sartaj chose to save Imaan and not him and kept him in his haveli. What he meant to achieve in doing so, no one knows. He claims it was for humanity’s sake. Afreen and Hussain started getting close to a recovering Sadiq, so much so that Sadiq took the news of Hussain’s death very badly. It was enough for him to change his name, his religion, and his uniform.

Hussain and Afreen aren't safe from ISI since the moment Afreen discovered that Hussain was alive and got Sadiq to surrender. They have been hunting them and are only alive because India is giving them that protection, but it won't be long before...”

“I cannot ask you to forgive anyone or even accept Afreen and Hussain, but you may see them at the ceremony because I have invited them as my family members. Siddhant has caused us all pain, but your loss and Imaan’s loss are immeasurable. I just wanted and hoped you will be mentally strong when you see them. That’s why I am here. I should leave now.” Vikram nodded at Imaan and left.

“I cannot forgive them or you, Mr. Singh, but Sartaji wouldn’t want me to let hate consume me. He suffered because of hate between the two nations for seventeen years. I don’t think I can suffer like him.”

“Hate and war aren’t between nations, Harleen, it’s between establishments, between egos. Only the soldiers and common people pay the biggest price of this hate.” He looked at Harleen sadly, nodded, and left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“No, I win!” Hussain’s voice broke Harleen’s reverie. She looked at the poor boy who had suffered. She then looked at Arjun, her Arjun. He was just as much as hers as Veera’s, even though Harleen hadn’t birthed him. He was safe from the war. At the maximum, Arjun had to witness his uncle break down under the pressure of revisiting the tortures of captivity for a few months and when things were finally going smoothly, he lost his uncle in a terror attack. But Arjun was safe.

She looked at Rohan, who, unlike Hussain and Arjun did not suffer from the war directly or because his relatives were prisoners of war.

Rohan had to suffer because his father’s wrong choices as a Major during the war had caused Siddhant’s capture by Pakistan and, ultimately, Shobha and Vikram’s breakup. He had to spend ten years without Vikram, his father, and then with the fact that his maternal uncle had killed a civilian and a soldier in what he called a war for humanity, but was revenge for Hussain after being manipulated by the authorities and Lala. 

“What are you thinking?” Harleen jumped as Imaan sat next to her.

“How war destroyed everything, how the war will ruin them,” she sighed. 

“How the war has ruined you,” she said. 

Why do all the wrong happen with Imaan sir? He worries about everyone, but he gets hurt the most. His actions never leave him alone. Sartaj had once said to her.

“That’s war,” Imaan shrugged.

“Naaz had said we should go home, but I kept wondering, what was home? It was a home for Shaira, Ayaan, Naaz, and Salim, but I had broken it.” He looked at his hands. Harleen wanted to say that was not the case, but didn’t, because she knew that despite everything, the Khans’ life had been majorly impacted by the return.

“My Shaira was happy. Naaz chooses the word irresponsible, but now, she is different. Responsible, but different. Her life has taken a 180-degree turn.”

“But she is happy,” said Harleen. “She is now making the right choices.”

“An IB officer for a boyfriend. Like mother, like daughter. I guess both love their men in uniform.” Imaan laughed as they looked at Shaira and Santosh arguing about something. “Probably arguing about when their next date is.” Imaan shook his head.

A comfortable silence enveloped them, but Harleen broke it.

"Can I confess something?"

Imaan nodded.

"I know I sound selfish, but I don't want a fate similar to yours, Sartaj's, or even Rohan's and Arjun's fate for her." She looked at her five-month baby bump.

"Her?" Imaan asked curiously.

"Sartajji believed that it will be a baby girl."

"Partner was never wrong, except sometimes," Imaan smiled gently, thinking of his partner who had met during the last ten years of his captivity.

"I don't want them to know pain or anguish as we did. Is that wrong of me to ask?"

"No parent wants their child to be hurt, Harleen. Even though I may sound selfish, if I could, I would wrap Ayaan and Shaira in bubble wrap and keep them away from the world. It's crazy to hear, but it's true. You aren't wrong in wishing for their happiness and safety, and I promise you, your baby will not know any pain. Sartaj promised to you, and so do I."

"Thank you," Harleen nodded gratefully.

"Them?" Imaan asked after a few seconds.

"Her and... Afreen's child. I think it's easier to hate them, but I cannot. Or at least, I cannot bring myself to hate the baby and Hussain."

"That's because you are too kind, Harleen, and I am proud of you," Imaan kissed her forehead.

But Harleen wasn't being kind. She was being a mother. Just like she was of her unborn child, of Arjun. They didn't deserve a world burning with war. No child deserved to be stripped of his innocence, like Hussain, to be torn apart, like Rohan, or left to find pieces in the dark like Arjun. Wars aren't meant for children. They are between two establishments, but the children pay the price.