Congratulations ! It's a daughter

In 2001, under various circumstances, my father made the courageous decision to migrate from Jammu and Kashmir, India, to Islamabad, Pakistan. Realizing the growing need for a fresh start, my mother followed suit and moved to a new country with me and my elder sister. To begin our new life, my father took a loan from a friend and opened a fruit shop. Unfortunately, after just a few months, his hopes and dreams were shattered by a devastating flood.

Despite the setbacks, my sister and I were able to enroll in school. In 2005, our family received the joyous news that my mother was pregnant, bringing immense happiness to my father. With determination and perseverance, my father managed to establish a utility store. However, his faith was tested when both a shareholder and a worker betrayed him, leading to a devastating robbery at the store in the early morning hours.

Amidst this turmoil, my mother's blood pressure skyrocketed to dangerous levels, requiring an emergency cesarean delivery. My father, weighed down by the difficult decision, ultimately gave his consent, fully aware of the risks involved. This was particularly challenging as both my sister and I had also been born through cesarean deliveries. At the time, I was in the fourth grade, while my sister was in the sixth.

An hour later, a nurse emerged from the delivery room with the words,

"Congratulations, it's a daughter!" Unfortunately, my mother's blood pressure had escalated to such a critical point that she lost consciousness, slipping into a coma due to severe blood loss. Desperate, we were left with no choice but to pray for her recovery.

Our newborn daughter was placed on a ventilator, and my father was allowed periodic visits to the labor room.

Community members rallied to support us, but instead of offering solace, they unjustly blamed my father. Accusing him of knowing the baby's gender in advance and mistreating my mother, and when the doctors told my mother that it was a daughter, her blood pressure went up so high that now she is in critical condition. They threatened to harm him if anything happened to her; they were going to kill him, and they also disowned him from society's rights, and everyone, even my father's closet friends, cut off all the connections. Trapped with no money and faced with mounting medical bills, my father was forced to sell all our possessions to cover the expenses.

Meanwhile, our baby sister battled double pneumonia, relying on the ventilator for several weeks. Once she was discharged, there was no one to care for her while our mother remained hospitalized. Community members accused my father of having no right or duty towards my sister because he is the one who did all this. In desperation, my father turned to his closest friend and his wife, who gladly offered to take care of our sister during this challenging time. Eventually, they named her "Naima Batool," deriving inspiration from the Arabic term that means "a blessed one."

I vividly recall a day when my sister and I discovered our father sitting on a prayer mat, weeping and pouring his heart out to God. There was no one to prove his innocence. This was the first time we witnessed his tears. Miraculously, God answered his heartfelt prayers. Though the doctors were amazed, my father's unwavering faith had been rewarded. My father said that God saved my mother just to prove his innocence. As proof of his innocence, my mother began her slow path to recovery, despite losing her hair and becoming bald.

After seven long months, my parents finally had the opportunity to embrace their daughter's face with sheer delight. Motivated by their transformative journey, my father dedicated himself to breaking societal norms and uplifting the status of women. He worked day and night just to achieve his dream. A dream to make his daughters guardian angels for those who are suffering from the same situation as my dad did, for those who think of their daughters as pieces of garbage, and for those who think that every father sees their daughters as weight on their shoulders. Today, my sister has achieved her dream of becoming an MBBS doctor and works as a medical officer in a hospital. I, too, have recently graduated as a dentist. As for our youngest sister, she is currently in high school, lighting up our family with her infectious zest for life.

This tale serves as an inspiring reminder to all fathers who invest their all in their daughters, defying the stereotypes that label them as burdens. Through the unwavering dedication of my father, we serve as living examples that daughters are not a curse but rather guardian angels who possess immeasurable potential.

CHEERS TO ALL DADS WHO ARE THE HEROES OF THEIR DAUGHTERS!