Social media has taken over the
habit of book reading. Hence it is courageous writing a book that attracts
social media’s attention too. Hafsa Rehan, a medical doctor, proves it as true.
She tells our land is not as barren as others badmouth. We are able to produce a
good writing that fascinates viewers.
Daam-e-Lahoo isa worth reading novel by the young and talented writer, Dr Hafsa
Rehan.She takes the challenge of extremist views head on and fights it by using
her pen. Based on a fiction story leading to the APS Peshawar tragedy, she
highlights the issue as to how and why a commoner becomes terrorist, how it
impacts social life of a citizen and what are the solutions of this menace. Her
novel tries to differentiate between terrorism and religion and conveys that
terrorism is something opposite of the concept of Islamism.
Hafsa describes the brain washing of a person by terrorist elements in a way
that readers understand their modus operandi. She makes aware the society to
recognize those elements hiding within and take preventive measures. In a novel
everything must not be real; but her pen makes the fiction as if it is real.
Sothe reader enjoys the novel while going through suspense and thrill, romance
and agony. The topic of the novel seems to be dry though, yetit maintains its
attraction. It looks as if the reader watches being part of a character.
Hafsa’s are real life common characters; the reader smiles with the innocence of
character and brings tears in the eyes while painting a tragicsituation. Novel
ends in a very tragic way that makes the reader sad, but it speaks all about
reality. She combines different characters while gathering them at one place. In
the Preface of the novel she says," it's the toughest moment on earth when a
father takes his 25-year long hard work, his son, to the graveyard; the son
falls prey to terror”. It is the toughest of moments in someone’s life; the
writer herself belongs to the area that has been affected the most by such
incidents, she pens it down like an eye witness account.
Good thing is the young novelist doesn’t criticize anyone or any class of
society as she believes there are good and bad people everywhere. One may find
technical wrongs in the novel but this is her solo and such mistakes are very
few. However, it proves that she has all the ingredients of becoming a novelist
of fame. Writing on the subject of terrorism is a daring step, and certainly a
first of its kind, which others need to follow. She deserves to be appreciated,
encouraged and protected. Let us follow her to write and help de-radicalize the
society so, as broader part of Radd-ul-Fasaad, the menace of terrorism can be
eliminated.
FawadKhan, Islamabad