Chapter 1: Kanoon ki Deewar
Chapter 1: Kanoon ki DeewarLahore High Court ki purani building ki deewaron se aaj bhi angrezon ke dor ki thandak aur purani files ki ajeeb si boo aati thi. Bahar April ki tapte hui dhoop thi, lekin Courtroom No. 4 ke andar ka mahol us se bhi zyada garam tha. "Mere moazziz judge sahab! Section 302 ke tehat mujrim Shahvez ko saza-e-maut honi chahiye. Mere paas chashmdeed gawah maujood hain jinhone isay us ghareeb larki ka qatal karte dekha," Zaryab Khan ne nihayat sanjeda aur pur-aitamad lehjay mein kaha. Uska kaala coat uski shakhsiyat ko mazeed pur-asrar bana raha tha. Zaryab ne samnay kharray huye Shahvez ki taraf dekha. Shahvez, jo sheher ke aik baray land-lord ka beta tha, ke chehray par pashaimani ke bajaye aik maghroor muskurahat thi. Uske peechay kharray do bodyguards aur aik mehenga wakeel batla rahe thay ke ye adalat sirf aik khel hai. "Objection, My Lord!" Shahvez ke wakeel ne chikh kar kaha. "Gawahon ke bayanat mein tazzad (contradiction) hai. Ye case sirf mere client ko badnaam karne ki koshish hai." Zaryab ne gehri saans li. Usne gawahon ki taraf dekha, jo chand lamhay pehle tak uske sath kharray thay, lekin ab unki nazrein jhuki hui thi. Unke chehron par khauf saaf dikh raha tha. Unhe khareed liya gaya tha ya dara diya gaya tha. Judge ne hathora mara. Tap, tap, tap! "Adalat saboot aur gawahon ki adam-maujoodgi ki bina par Shahvez ko ba-izzat bari karti hai," Judge ne faisla sunaya aur file band kar di. Courtroom mein khamoshi chha gayi. Zaryab ne dekha ke qatal hone wali larki ka boodha baap bench par baitha siskiyan bhar raha tha. Shahvez ne Zaryab ke paas se guzarte huye uske kaan mein sargoshi ki, "Khan sahab, kanoon hamari jeb mein hota hai. Agli dafa mehnat thori zyada kijiyega." Zaryab ne koi jawab nahi diya. Usne bas apni diary uthayi aur bahar nikal gaya. Raat ke 2 baj rahe thay. Lahore ka Mall Road khamosh tha, lekin ek sunsan farm house ke bahar kaali shadow harakat mein thi. Shahvez apni jeet ka jashan mana kar nikal raha tha ke achanak uski gari ke tyre phat gaye. Gari ghasit-ti hui aik darakht se ja takrayi. Bodyguards hosh sambhalne se pehle hi dher ho chuke thay—unke galon par sateek nishana tha. Shahvez darta hua gari se bahar nikla. Samnay andheray mein aik qad-aawar shakhs kharra tha. Usne mask pehna hua tha, lekin uski aankhon ki thandak wahi thi jo subha court mein thi. "Tum… tum yahan kya kar rahe ho? Paisay chahiye? Jitne mangoge milenge!" Shahvez chillaya. Zaryab Khan (Munsif) ne dheray se kaha, "Kanoon andha ho sakta hai Shahvez, lekin maut nahi. Court mein tum ne Section 302 se nijaat paa li, par munsif ki adalat mein koi appeal nahi hoti." Ek tez dhaar chaku ki chamak andheray mein lehrayi. Aglay hi pal, Shahvez ki cheekh hawa mein dhab gayi. Subha jab police wahan pahunchi, to Shahvez ki lash ke paas zameen par aik ajeeb o ghareeb nishan (The Logo) khuda hua tha. Sheher ke sab se baray attorney ne raat mein apna pehla "Insaaf" mukammal kar liya tha.