Although Sheema, a domestic servant in Karachi’s Neelum Colony, lived just a short distance from her house, it felt like a continent to her. Her sister was unable to withstand the intense heat and the accompanying headache and burning eyes during their 10-minute walk home from work during the first heatwave of the summer.
Sheema and her sister begged a nearby mosque to invite them in, even for a short while, as the sun burned into their backs. With a glass of cold water in hand, they sat under a fan indoors, their dry throats desiring nothing more.
