In October of last year, I applied for a Winter internship grant through the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute. I’d attended events hosted by the Institute, certainly, through my affiliation with the Harvard College Pakistani Students Association, but I’d never thought of pursuing any internships on the Indian subcontinent — least of all during my precious winter break.
Winter break is a sacrosanct time for me, even more significant than summer vacations: it represents an important mid-semester ‘pause,’ a suspension in the year during which I evaluate, reflect, recalibrate, and return to the school year with a fresh pair of eyes. I was, relatedly, exhausted from the semester and was hesitant about spending my precious month off working, too. Like my peers, I wanted to rest, and I also wanted to start thinking about and planning for the summer, preparing my applications to various internships and the like. Still, I couldn’t think of a better time to intern in Pakistan — the lovely, cool weather, a respite from the harshness of Boston winters, and a welcome and long-awaited opportunity to spend time with family.
I was equally as enthusiastic about my prospective place of employment, the subject of my grant proposal: AGHS Legal Aid Cell, the late human rights activist Asma Jahangir’s legal clinic. In my Mittal grant proposal, I detailed the ways in which this would build upon my experiences working at a NY-based legal aid non-profit for survivors called Sanctuary for Families. I was honest about how the learning curve would be steep — the Pakistani judicial system is vastly different from our own — but that I was eager to challenge myself. My Urdu was incredibly rusty (I’m being generous) and while most people at the firm were fluent in English, one of the primary languages spoken in Pakistan, I would aim to converse in Urdu as much as possible. And finally, on a more personal note, I wrote that I would be thrilled to give back to my home country in some way. In addition to my grant proposal, I included two letters of recommendation and a transcript before crossing my fingers and submitting the application. When I got the happy news in November, I was beside myself with excitement.
A little over a month later, I found myself in an office in Gulberg, a lively part of Lahore, going through the Pakistan Annual Legal Digests — summative volumes of the most important case-law in Pakistan — and searching for precedents for alimony under the 1869 Divorce Act. Out of my comfort zone, I relied on the attorneys and legal advocates at the firm to show me the ropes of the Pakistani legal apparatus. As an intern, I also had the opportunity to draft petitions and conduct other research for the firm, such as compiling instances of violence against women in all five provinces of Pakistan.
One of the most memorable moments during my internship was my visit to the High Court of Pakistan with another lawyer at the firm. I was fitted in the traditional attire for lawyers in Pakistan: black robes — or, in my case, a blazer — and a white shalwaar kameez. It was a fascinating and rare insight into the legal profession and justice system of Pakistan, and I had the opportunity to hear other cases and listen to legal arguments.
Beyond my daily work at AGHS Legal Aid Cell, I relished being in Lahore. I’d spent many a winter and summer in Lahore during my childhood, but returning as a 22 year-old — without my parents and brothers — was an entirely different experience. For one, I was pampered considerably; I would be welcomed home from work by my Nani’s delicious home-made food, a real luxury. I also spent my free time in Pakistan with one of my best friends from Harvard, who originally hails from Lahore. He reprised the role of my tour guide, showing me around the old historical parts of the city that I’d never really had the opportunity to visit before.
And now, back at Harvard, I am auditing a class at the Law School on comparative family law between different legal traditions: Islamic, Judaic, and the American system. Because of my internship experiences this past winter, I feel uniquely positioned to both take this course and understand some of the complex socio-economic and family legal concepts addressed during class discussions!
This is all to say: now that I’m back at Harvard, I couldn’t imagine my winter break any differently. For students nervous about “giving up” their winter breaks, I say: there is no loss, only gain. Leverage the myriad grants sponsored by various institutes at the College and pursue what can truly be a transformative experience!
