Betrayal

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Short Story by Nadeem Alam
They were class fellows and friends. Final exams were over and they decided to go on excursion to Swat which was quite peaceful now. So they packed their bags and started off from Lahore at nine in the morning and through motorway they hit Rashakai interchange in the evening.
They had been taking breaks in between otherwise they would have reached much earlier. Anyway, they had evening meal in Mardan and decided to move on. They had booking in Mingora which they did not want to miss. So here they were on road to Mingora. Google map assisted them and they were now only three hours from their destination.
From Mardan, they moved at 8 pm on Batkhela road. Their phones went silent at 9.30 pm.
Nobody missed them on that night or even on next day. By the morning of following day, their parents contacted each other. Nobody had heard from them for the last almost two days. They were now worried and decided to contact the police.
They had been kept in a small house. Their hands and feet were tied. Their eyes were masked and mouths were taped. There was one person on watch who would look after their needs. They were fed with some tasteless soup. All their possessions were confiscated and their car was abandoned at some far distance.
Somebody reported the case in media and it went frenzy. Interviews of the parents and friends were live telecast round the clock. Police investigation did not have any clue. The case was registered in Lahore. They got abducted in Swat. A joint investigation team was formed which was working on all the angles. Their car was found from outskirts of Batkhela but there was no other lead.
Case was then handed over to the army. It worked in close liaison with agencies and after lot of effort put in through technical resources, they finally managed to locate them in a small hut near Chakdara. A raid was planned and executed perfectly. The kidnapper was shot and both the abductees were recovered in a bad shape but alive. They were immediately evacuated to a nearby army medical center. 
He belonged to a backward area and was studying in Lahore. He attended college during day time and taught tuitions during evening. He could barely meet his expenses. He has been taking loan from Hikmat Khan for the last two years without paying a penny back. Hikmat Khan was not ready to accept any more excuses. His friend had all the luxuries in life and he was in dire need of money. So he convinced him to take a trip to Swat.

Written By: Nadeem Alam

Other short stories by same author:
Click 👇
Lost Girl 
Shadow
My World
Doomsday
Price of Love

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