Lost Between Two Worlds
Sixteen-year-old Rida, daughter of Muhammad Afzal, belonged to the Khokhar tribe and lived in 123 Chak Janoobi, Tehsil Sillanwali, District Sargodha. Her life took a tragic turn when her parents divorced and remarried, leaving her caught between two worlds that refused to accept her.
Rida had only one sister, who was married and living in her own home. She longed for stability, but every time she turned to her mother, she was sent to her father. When she sought refuge with her father, he sent her back to her mother. Neither wanted to take responsibility for her. While they moved on with their new families, Rida was left abandoned, unwanted, and utterly alone.
Heartbroken and desperate, she made a bold decision—she ran away. With no destination in mind, she boarded a bus to Sargodha. When the bus reached the general stand, the driver noticed her distress and asked where she was headed. "I have nowhere to go," she replied. Moved by her plight, he offered her shelter for the night at his home.
Realizing she couldn’t stay there, the driver took her to the police station the next morning. The officers, seeing her vulnerable situation, transferred her to the Star Welfare Organization Hawa Shelter Home.
Now, sitting in the shelter, Rida had only one wish—to live with her sister, Musarrat, wife of Umar Farooq, an Ansari resident of Vajj, Tehsil Sahiwal. She no longer wanted to beg for love from parents who had forsaken her. But before she could move on, she wanted justice. She was determined to file a case against her father to claim her rightful financial support.
Rida was done being unwanted. It was time to take control of her own life.
