Salma Saleem: Earning Bread on Path to Justice

Life is not a bed of roses and comes along with a plethora of challenging circumstances, However, it is the mettle and impetus of a person that makes the difference. Salma Saleem has faced many trials in life and was married two times but ended up in a divorce in both.

Despite the odds life brought to her, Salma decided to stand up on her own feet.

She set up a stall in Lahore’s area of Yateem Khana Chowk and runs a small shop set up on a roadside plinth.

Salma’s Past

Salma first got married to a relative in 2006 and gave birth to a girl.

However, she got divorced after two years and had to leave her child with his husband.

She remarried in 2009 but later it was known that her second husband was a drug addict.

But as Salma thought she was already stigmatized, she continued to live with her husband despite odds and had two children.

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However, Salma’s husband did not quit consuming drugs and the marriage ended after five years.

What Happened After

After getting divorced the second time, Salma moved to her father’s rented house in the Yateem Khana Chowk area.

Her father used to sell groceries on the stairs of Lahore High Court (LHC).

She continued this after her father’s death last year and now feeds her family this way.

She said, “The people in her surroundings are very supportive and I never feel uncomfortable working there”.

Salma added that she has dedicated her life to her children.

“They are enrolled in a government school and we live in a rented house”, she told News 360.

The female vendor said that it is hard to scratch a living these days due to inflation.

However, Salma Saleem holds some grudges with life and expressed that things would have been different if her marriage had sustained.

Now, she only wants her children to become successful in life.

Salma said that the people suffering hardships should not lose hope and work their way up instead of relying on others.