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in your belly the moment I laid eyes on you.We will certainly work well together.’
    ‘What do you want me to do?’
    ‘Just continue the work they give you at YPS, but while you do that, seek out other suitable people, people like us, who are not afraid to kill… or die. Then we’ll strike.’
    ‘How?’ Asif asked. ‘What can a handful of us do? We need money, arms and...’
    ‘You leave all that to me,’ said Mujib, cutting him off.
    ‘You? Who are you? Where will you get them from?’
    ‘I’ll get them... that’s my problem.’
    ‘But who are you?’
    ‘Slowly, miyan.’ Mujib laughed. ‘All in due course... For now, just keep your eyes and ears open, and learn. You have a long way to go.’
    Asif mulled over his words for a while. Then he nodded. ‘What about him?’ He gestured vaguely over his shoulder, in the direction in which Salafi’s body lay. ‘How do we explain his death?’
    ‘Why should we explain it at all?’ Mujib countered. ‘Don’t you see...’ He broke off in mid-sentence. ‘How do you think we can make use of his death?’
    Asif did not take long to reply. ‘Why don’t we just blame the kafir for it? Proclaim Salafi a martyr who was doing great work for Islam and was becoming so popular and powerful that they killed him.’
    ‘Excellent!’ Mujib sounded delighted. ‘You learn fast!’
    ‘Like you were saying, maybe we can even get the YPS people to hit the streets to protest his murder and inflict some more pain on the government.’
    Mujib laughed again. ‘You are good!’
    ‘Thank you,’ Asif murmured, actually blushing at the compliment. He didn’t know that Mujib was following a well-choreographed script – Praise the potential recruit. Even if Asif had given a foolish answer, Mujib would have guided him towards the right one, made him feel that he had thought it up on his own.
    ‘Fabulous! You must always try to capitalize on every situation. After all, just because he was a coward does not mean he cannot contribute to the jihad with his death.’
    ‘What about Omar and Shafique – and the others at YPS whom Salafi mentioned?’
    ‘Leave the fools alone. Let them talk themselves to death and build up the organization. We’ll use them to find the cadres and the support we need to complete our mission. There’s no need for them to know about us.’
    ‘But they will eventually find out,’ Asif protested.
    ‘It’s impossible that they won’t. One or the other person we try to recruit is bound to tell them.’
    Mujib shrugged. ‘When that happens, I guess some more cowards will be murdered by the kafir.’ Both men laughed again.
    By now they were almost back at the university gates where Mujib had met them.
    ‘Take this.’ Asif was getting out when Mujib handed him a mobile phone. It was a snazzy, top-of-the-line model. Asif turned it around in his hand admiringly, unable to keep the gleam out of his eyes. It did not occur to him that the phone had been meant for Salafi. ‘I’ll call you when I need to talk to you. Use it only, and I mean only, to speak with me. Do not make any calls from it or give the number to anyone else. Remember that.’
    ‘But how do I call you if I need to contact you? I don’t have your number.’
    ‘Here it is.’ Mujib scribbled on a piece of paper he picked out of the glove compartment and handed it to Asif. ‘Memorize it and then destroy this paper. And make sure you don’t call me unless it’s an earthshaking event and even if you have to, call only from a public phone,’ he stressed. ‘Got it? Call only if it’s an emergency! And call only from a PCO! That’s how we’ll always communicate. Okay?’
    By now Asif was starting to look a little bewildered.
    ‘Don’t fret.’ Mujib reached out and patted his shoulder. ‘Just take one thing at a time. To begin with, focus on the task I’ve given you.’
    ‘Don’t worry, bhaijaan. Leave it to me. I’ll put together a group that will make us proud.’
    ‘Good!