Yasmeen — A Journey of Friendship, Language, and Laughter

It’s been almost eight to ten years since my friendship with Yasmeen began. It started on social media with a few simple exchanges. I am Saraiki, she is Pathan—our languages worlds apart. But thanks to Urdu, which bridged the gap between us. From exchanging gifts to sharing joys and sorrows, time passed, and our bond only grew stronger.

In the early days, in the excitement of friendship, I made a mistake—I asked Yasmeen to teach me Pashto. It didn’t take long to realize that this language could only truly be mastered by Pathans themselves. When she spoke to me, her voice was soft and gentle, but the moment she addressed someone in her family, her tone would suddenly turn deep and commanding—throwing in words like zaagṛe, baagṛe, dum pukht, waṛa muṛa that transformed the atmosphere instantly. I would wonder—should I really be learning Pashto?

One day she said, “We made khosa. Do you eat them?”
I was puzzled—“I’ve only heard of Ayub Khosa and Zulfiqar Khosa. Which one did you make?”
Her spontaneous laughter filled the air. That’s when I learned that in Pashto, khosa means ridge gourds.

Pathans do learn Urdu, but the way they treat it makes the language itself sigh in complaint. Over the years, I realized that Yasmeen’s words were perfectly normal—until she expressed them in Urdu, which somehow made them unintentionally funny.
Once, while praising her one-and-a-half-year-old niece, she said, “She is very decent.”
I held my head—“Oh dear, such a small child is neither decent nor indecent, she’s just cute.”
Yasmeen immediately agreed, “True, true…”

As for learning Pashto—well, since we communicate in Urdu, why bother? But yes, out of love for Yasmeen, I do listen to Pashto songs. That should count as an achievement!

She is not only intelligent but also hardworking—a gold medalist, currently in Lahore preparing for the CSS exams. Our first formal meeting also took place in Lahore. I pray that God makes her a CSS officer, because people like her—genuine, honest, and dedicated—are exactly what this country needs.