Aitbar By Bisma Khan

About this afsana

Aitbar (Urdu: اعتبار) by Bisma Khan is a short, complete Urdu afsana about two friends and a terrified foreign girl. The friends are out on a walk when the girl stops them and begs for help, and they must decide whether to trust her.

Moeed and Yusuf are walking together, Yusuf busy lighting a cigarette, when Moeed suddenly asks who that is running towards them. “Meri phuppo ki beti hai!” Yusuf answers with a straight face – and when Moeed turns to stare at him, he laughs: how on earth would he know? But this is no joke. Moeed takes a proper look and sees a girl running straight at them, barefoot, without a dupatta, as if she is fleeing from someone.

She reaches them and grabs Moeed’s hand: “Please save me, please help me!” Moeed, who isn’t used to anyone holding his hand like that, frees himself within seconds. Yusuf asks what’s wrong and how they can help, but she replies that she can’t understand what he is saying – she doesn’t speak Urdu. When they switch to English, she tells them she is from Canada.

ایک اجنبی لڑکی کی پکار، اور دو دوستوں کے لیے بھروسے کا امتحان۔

She begs them to save her from “these devils” who want to kill her. Moeed looks around: there is nobody here, see for yourself. But she insists that they are following her and won’t stop. Finally Moeed calms her down and promises they will help, then asks her name. “Suzen,” she says.

The title means trust, and Bisma Khan builds the whole opening around that question: should two strangers believe a frightened girl from another country, and should she trust them? The dialogue moves quickly, mixing English lines with Urdu translations, and the mystery of who is chasing Suzen keeps the pages turning. It’s a short read with suspense and a light touch of humour from Yusuf.

You can read Aitbar online here or download the complete PDF for free. More by Bisma Khan: Rishtay Sang Muhabbato Kay, The Night Stalkers and Roshan Sawera, or see all Bisma Khan novels and more Urdu afsanay.