AKS (English Translation) by Umaira Ahmed

In a game of chess, the queen is the most powerful piece, yet the whole game of chess is about the king s show of power his absolute success, where he captures the other king and declares check mate. Chirya, a young girl of 8 years old, is not quite satisfied with this arrangement. If the queen is the most powerful piece in chess, then surely she must be the most important piece of chess, not the king, Chirya insists. And in the real life game of chess, Chirya is about to do just that make the queen the most important player.

Aks (English: Reflection) is a story of struggle, of injustice, of childhood traumas and life s crippling hurdles. It is a story of courage, of resilience, of not bowing down, and standing up each time you fall flat on your face.

Aks appeared in Pakeeza Digest from August 2011 to December 2012.