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If you look at my profile, every post is either technical or about HivePostify. That’s my focus and my job. But this week, something weighed heavily on my mind and wouldn’t go away, no matter what I did.
I hesitated before writing this. I wondered if posting this would make my country look bad. Was this even my place to talk?
Then I asked myself a question.
What if she were my sister?
She settled it.
Quetta. Civil Hospital. Friday. Duty hours.
Dr. Mahnoor Nasir was in her room doing the work she had dedicated her life to saving people. In the same hospital, a man who worked as an elevator operator knocked on her door, entered and threw acid on her.
Her face. Her hands. Her stomach. Her legs.
She ran out of pain, looking for help. A medical trainee named Abdul Razaq was nearby. At first, he didn’t realize it was acid. He had just seen someone in unbearable pain and without thinking, he reached out to her. He covered her with his coat and got injured too.
That one moment of instinct, that one person who stepped forward, was the only part of the story that felt like humanity.
Dr. Mahnoor was airlifted to Karachi for treatment. Thankfully, she didn’t lose her sight. But what happened can’t be undone.
Now, here’s what I really want to say.
This isn’t just one incident. It’s not uncommon either. Similar incidents happen every week in Pakistan. Acid attacks. Cases of harassment that go unheard because of family honor. Murders by women protecting them for the sake of honor. Many cases don’t make it to the news because shame spreads faster than justice.
Laws are in place. Statements are made. Committees are formed.
Then the next week brings another story.
I was really scared writing this. I thought it might make Pakistan look bad. And then I felt ashamed even thinking about it.
A country’s reputation is not damaged because someone speaks out about injustice. It hurts when people remain silent. When real pain is ignored. When a woman who worked hard for years to become a doctor is attacked in her own workplace, and by the next week the world has moved on.
That is the true beauty of Pakistan. Abdul Razzak is proof of that. That kind of humanity is here. But it also needs a voice. It needs people who are willing to say that this is wrong and I will not pretend to be right.
Dr. Mahnoor, you chose to give before you knew what it would cost you. You are stronger than this moment. Get well soon.
Abdul Razak, you showed up when it mattered. That is, everything. Thank you
And to anyone reading this - it doesn't have to be a grand act. Just treat the women around you with a little more respect today than you did yesterday. Be a little more mindful. Be a little more human. This is where change begins.
Some things can't be fixed with code. Some things just need someone to speak up.