LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM.
JUNE 2016
The woman scratched the surface of her napkin lightly with a well-manicured nail and absent-mindedly looked out of the window of the posh London restaurant. She didn't speak for a while. General Asim Afridi kept looking at her, waiting for her to speak.
Nobody would have guessed that this kind-faced, fat, bald old man who looked like someone's grandpa-was responsible for hundreds of bomb blasts and thousands of deaths in India, Afghanistan, Nepal and even Pakistan when required. This was the dreaded Gen Afridi of Pakistan's intelligence organization, ISI. Having retired a few years back, he had settled in London, acting as point-man, negotiator, deal-maker and liaison for the Pakistan Army's nefarious interactions. Today, he was sitting in a fancy restaurant, across from this young woman, who he was informed was a big social media star and podcaster, with millions of followers hanging on to each word she said.
Gen Afridi rarely met low-level operatives and was wondering why the army chief had sent him to meet her. He was used to hanging out with directors and chiefs of foreign agencies who wanted to get things done via or in Pakistan. He was not involved in running active operations anymore, like he used to as the boss of the ISI. So, he was surprised when the chief called and requested him to meet and evaluate her capabilities before the ISI gave a final go-ahead to engage her.
Finally, the woman realized that this man was not the kind you win mind games against. She turned her head towards him and said, 'So what next, General saab?'
He replied calmly, 'You tell me, Sayema. I'm here with a totally open mind, trying to understand your aspirations. If you have cleared the screening and the ISI has arranged this meeting, I'm sure you understand they are already impressed by you. What we need to figure out is if we are sending you to Master Chef, what culinary delights and surprises can be expected from you.'
She smiled lightly, nodded and started speaking passionately. 'You know, General saab, I could've just easily continued my work. I'm a social media star, I am also a communications consultant for celebrities and I earn extremely well. People know me, recognize me and stop to take selfies with me. But then, I asked myself, is that all life is supposed to be? And my heart said "no", I had to answer a bigger call. I had to stand up and do something. I had to give meaning to my existence. That's why I had to contribute to the jihad against India.
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