Khadija Sidddiqi, the Iron Lady in Lahore’s Recovery from Pain and Loss
Indeed, her survival was miraculous. Sustaining the wounds from 23 stabs, she nearly escaped death to everyone’s amazement. Blood gushed out of every part of her body as she lay unconscious in front of her six-year-old sister. Khadija Siddiqi, a 22-year-old strong woman, who is now fighting her war against injustice, went to pick up her sister from school when she was brutally stabbed by her classmate in broad daylight. The incident took place on May 3, 2016, on one of the busiest roads in Lahore.
The attacker left no stone unturned whilst attacking Khadija and still failed to achieve his target of killing her. While there were hundreds of witnesses to it, he escaped the crime scene uninterruptedly on his bike, parked at a considerable distance from Khadija’s car. In an attempt to get hold of the attacker, Khadija’s driver was able to remove his helmet, revealing his identity, which was further confirmed from the CCTV camera footage.
Later, Khadija disclosed that his motive behind the attack was simply her refusal to talk to him. The two became friends during the first year of the university. However, Khadija started avoiding him after being exposed to his threatening nature. This ticked him off and he began meddling in her life by spying on her, although acting completely normal around her. It was towards the end of the second year that he emerged with the unforeseen dreaded intentions of killing her. Only three days before her LLB exam, Khadija experienced the horrendous attack for which she remained hospitalized for the next two weeks.
This pale-faced girl with cheek dimples claims to have completely changed as a person after the incident. Like any other girl of her age, Khadija’s life revolved around her friends and family, with her goal in life being completing her degree and becoming a practicing lawyer. Her life took a complete turn on May 3, 2016. Still recovering from the barbaric injuries inflicted upon her, she began looking at the world from a different perspective. The things that were of great importance to her before, lost all their value. Her purpose in life changed.
She is not alone in her battle. Khadija has the complete support of her family and of all those people who see her as a role model. The incident not only caused physical and mental pain to Khadija but left her family in a state of utter shock. The two working parents had to not only endure the suffering of seeing their daughter in excruciating pain but had to manage their jobs too. Being a school teacher, Khadija’s mother had to compromise her work to look after her daughter and be by her side while she sat through the court proceedings. Khadija’s younger sister, who witnessed her sister being ruthlessly attacked, was also injured when she intervened to protect her. Despite all the hurdles and setbacks, Khadija displays great determination in winning justice for herself and is a source of strength for her entire family.
An FIR was lodged against the criminal on the day of the attack and the proceedings commenced on May 16, 2016. Both the Session Court and the High Court gave the verdict in favor of Khadija, due to clear evidence against the culprit. He is charged with PPC 324, attempt to murder. However, after being imprisoned for only two months, he was set free on a post-arrest bail, granted by the Session Court. The attacker is the son of an influential lawyer and put immense pressure on Khadija and her family to take back their case, during the trial. Khadija, however, is not ready to let him get away with this and even though her petition against the bail was rejected by the High Court, she is doing everything in her power to stay strong and keep fighting. Her first-hand experience with lawyers and the judicial system of Pakistan has been an eye-opener for Khadija.
She is still working hard to get her life back on track, studying and fighting her case simultaneously. Khadija claims that the incident has brought her closer to God and made her realize the significance of morality in one’s life. The incident has urged Khadija to be self-sufficient and learn to defend herself. She is now mastering martial arts. She is now more motivated to become a lawyer and bring about change in the judicial system of Pakistan.
“I believe Allah has given me a second chance at life so that I can be a better person and please The Almighty.”
