SPRING is around the corner but for me it will be without the fragrance of jasmine.
My younger sister, Yasmeen, died in Pakistan at 57. Her health had not been good recently. However, she was all excited about attending the wedding of my other sister`s daughter to be held in Chicago on April 29.
The agony is that a sister of three US citizens was denied a tourist visa by the consular staff in Karachi. We encouraged her to re-apply and approached our senators to help. She was interviewed again and the US consulate kept her passport, telling her that they would seek clearance from Washington. She has now gone to a place where there are noboundaries, no bureaucrats and no politicians.
Yasmeen truly lived for others. The only time I felt that she did something for herself was when she married the love of her life. She and her husband along with their three children migrated to USA in 1992 but decided to return to Pakistan to fulfil their other responsibilities.
Along with her husband, she took care of lots of people. They shared their limited resources with others without hesitation and never turned their backs on those who needed them. I consider myself a giving person but I do not come close to what my sister did for others.
I am proud to be her brother. May she bloom in her next life. Goodbye, Yasmeen! Spring will never be the same without you.
