Haq by Anabiya Khan

About this novel

Haq (Urdu: حق) by Anabiya Khan is a complete Urdu family novel about two sisters, Pulwasha and Adan, who grew up in hardship. Their father was cut out of the family fortune, and Pulwasha takes a risky decision to change their fate by any means.

The novel opens in the middle of a heated argument. “What are you doing? Have you gone mad? Have some fear of God – what will Ammi think if she finds out? She’ll die of grief,” Adan pleads with her older sister. Pulwasha won’t listen: she has made her decision. How long will they keep living like this, longing for every small thing, dependent on other people? She remembers never once eating a full meal as a child. Has Adan forgotten how they suffered after Baba’s sudden death? Nobody helped them – not Taya, not Taya Abbu, nobody.

The cause of their poverty is clear in Pulwasha’s mind. Their grandfather gave his entire property to his other son and left their father with nothing, all because he married by his own choice. “Is marrying for love such a great sin that a man is punished for it his whole life?” she asks bitterly. Her audition has gone through, she tells Adan; the project is big, and if she is selected, they’ll never look back. Adan warns her that acting is the wrong path and asks her to think about how “the family” will react, but Pulwasha is furious that her sister would defend people who never helped them.

دادا کی جائیداد، چھینا ہوا حق، اور ایک بہن کا خطرناک فیصلہ۔

Finally Adan gives in: “Is this your final decision?” Pulwasha calmly paints her nails and says that once she decides something, she doesn’t back down, even if it costs her life. Adan’s heart trembles, and she silently prays for her sister’s safety.

Then the writer introduces the elders: Naseeruddin had two sons, Hashim Khan and Abdullah Khan. Hashim has two sons, while Abdullah’s two daughters are Pulwasha and Adan, four years younger. Hashim is greedy and money-minded, staying close to his father only for the wealth.

Anabiya Khan sets up a story about inheritance, pride and justice, and the title – “right” – asks what the sisters are truly owed.

You can read Haq online here or download the complete PDF for free. More by Anabiya Khan: Chahat, Khula and Umeed E Wafa, or see all Anabiya Khan novels.