The Pakistani Bride

Author:Bapsi Sidhwa
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Milkweed Editions
Published: 2012-11-19T16:00:00+00:00

The officers were already gathered in the Mess, awaiting the visitors. The sun had slipped behind the hills and Carol and Farukh, after snuffing out the candles in their room, walked hand in hand into the glare of the Petromax-lit sitting room.

The officers rose politely, shook hands with Farukh and bowed, smiling warmly at Carol.

The couple were offered the recently vacated seats closest to the blazing log fire. “How did you like our work at Pattan?” inquired the Major.

“Excellent bridge,” said Farukh. “What impressed me most, though, was the road itself, the Karakoram Highway. A magnificent feat. I went up to where it ends. I can’t imagine how you’ll continue hacking it into those mountains.”

“Progress is measured in yards, not miles. It is tough.” For a moment Mushtaq’s face shed its social affability. He showed an unexpected sadness. “We’ve lost men—dynamite, avalanches, landslides, sudden crazy winds that lift men off the ledges . . .”

The room fell silent. They became aware of the evening wind rattling the windows, its hiss half submerged by the crash of the river. The wind would increase and howl and it would whistle through the night as if fierce demons had been let loose.

Carol ventured hesitantly. “H . . . how can you tell where to cut the road? I mean . . .”

“That was all taken care of two thousand years ago,” smiled Mushtaq, his face lighting up. “We are following the ancient Silk Route of traders from Central Asia. Their caravans carried jade, bolts of silk, and tea—some perished and some made it to the Indus plains. The Silk Route follows the Indus gorge most of the way and then swerves east from Gilgit through Hunza to the Khunjrab Pass on the Chinese frontier. It continues to Yarkand, Kashgar, and other fabled cities of Sinkiang!”

“How far is that from here?” asked Carol.

“About 350 miles. The road will wind through Kohistan for about one hundred miles and then enter the Gilgit, Hunza and Baltistan agencies, where the Hindu Kush on the west, Karakorams on the north and northeast, and the Himalayas to the south interlock with the Pamirs, at the very ‘Roof of the World.’ It is spectacular! Especially where the snows of Nanga Parbat and Rakaposhi look down on the ancient path.”

“I wish I could see it all,” sighed Farukh.

“Well, the Northern Area covers over twenty-seven thousand miles. It forms our borders with Afghanistan, Iran, India and China. You’ll be able to see a lot of it once the road’s complete.”

“I heard at Pattan—the Chinese are working on the road from their end?” asked Farukh.

“Yes.”

“There’ll be quite a celebration when the two teams meet.”

“You bet!” laughed Mushtaq.

Farukh leaned forward. “I met some decent chaps at Pattan. Ran into a childhood friend in fact. Captain Ahmed. We used to be neighbors.”

“You met a friend? You didn’t tell me,” smiled Carol. Her voice was acid.

“Didn’t I? Oh, so sorry.”

Carol clenched her fists and blushed. “It’s all right. I was only joking.” She lowered her eyes fleetingly.

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