So I made a friend over the internet back in early 2000s, this was over some chatroom app, lets call her A, she belonged to Hangu, never went to school but would call me every now and then whenever her PC gave an error, I'd help her.

All the education that she self-acquired through the books her brothers owned since they had the privilege to go to school which she couldn't, still very intelligent for someone of her circumstances. My mother is fluent in pushto and she would talk to her too.

Taliban were all over Hangu back then, she couldn't lock her main door, would at times call me late during the night cause Taliban would come and go as they pleased in people's houses, her husband was in Dubai she was in her susraal with a son along with a devar who molested her.

A in her childhood got engaged to her cousin, growing up she always envisioned him as her husband but her chacha stabbed the poor guy to death over land issues and she almost went crazy, a year later her sister who lives in Dubai arranged her marriage, which went through.

A had several miscarriages, was now diabetic, hypertensive and had BP issues at the age of 18, he didn't care much about her health and preferred his own pleasure over her well-being, two years into the marriage A found letters written by her own sister to her husband.

This was clearly arranged so the sister could remain close to Z, but Z now claims he put an end to it two months into the marriage, loves A now and wants nothing with the sister, this doesn't help A much, no matter what he says is not going to change her mind, no trust left.

This detoriates her health further, Z would visit twice a year and she would always end up pregnant, her family and sister were not even apologetic, but this was the reason she didn't want to go live with the husband, she couldn't stand him but with zero support from her family

She couldn't do much but just live as she was, she now has a daughter too, during this time Hangu was badly disputed, she got shot in the shoulder and leg while the army tried to evacuate people who were being held hostage she was one of them.

This leaves her startled, husband is now back too and things are getting better between the two, she calls me and tells she's very much in love and happy with the husband now and is 7 months pregnant again, eid is there weeks away. I'm happy that she's finally happy.

Two days before chaand raat she calls me and says "main bewa hogayi", husband went to get her eid clothes from some place a few hours away and on his way back has an accident and crashed into an ambulance, she's now a widow at the age of 23. I cannot stop my tears right now.

It doesn't end there, she's heavily pregnant with two kids and a devar who tried to rape her twice wants her to marry him so they can keep all the property, apparently the house they all live on belongs to her husband, now she has a new fight to fight to provide for her kids.

Jirga decides she's to marry the devar, she escapes and files a case in the court, with death threats and what not, gives birth to a special needs child who almost died of jaundice, survives it all acquires the property and now lives alone with her kids.