attention from across the world.

After a month of delays, I was then told the trip would not be
happening after all. Apparently, the Minister was not available for all of May or June.
The cancellation clearly angered a few people, and started another round of baseless accusations on
social media. I was accused of stealing from the designer. But I never even wore the outfit. It remained
packed in the box. The man responsible for returning it simply did not do so immediately. The designer
heard about this, and quickly sent back a handwritten confirmation that he had indeed received the
clothes, and I had not kept any of the outfits. But I couldn’t help but despair at the fact that these
accusations kept cropping up.
A very strong impression of my Deobandi Sunni family background was being deliberately created
by my opposition. As Sunnis in Pakistan, one must concede that we have never felt threatened or
insecure, and have enjoyed privileges that come with being a part of the majority. However, it also
meant that I was brought up in a household where I was never made conscious of these differences. I
never asked my friends or staff or colleagues what their faith or sect was. My ears never pricked upon
hearing certain surnames. I differentiated based only on ‘Is this person likeable or not?’ I couldn’t have
ever imagined that my sect would be an issue in Bani Gala.
I did think it was odd that my outfits were described as Abayas. I’d gone to great lengths to make
sure that for travel (like Umra in Saudi Arabia), I would not wear the signature Saudi-black style of
covering. Instead, I’d opted for my traditional trademark white to reflect my Pakistani identity as I
boarded the plane. And for the Umra itself, I’d asked for a green outfit; for Medina, a light tea-rose

k
pink.
_p
Representation of our unique Pakistani culture was always at the forefront of my mind. Much of
what has gone wrong in Pakistan has been because of our inability to balance our relationships. Extreme
an
tilts have caused much bloodshed and mistrust. Sadly, my efforts were not appreciated, and the
suspicion grew. Silly scandals were invented daily. But of course, I was no stranger to silly scandals.
rq
fu
@