A grain of mustard seed

The protagonist of this very short story is a Muslim shoemaker who made sandals for the Hindu family of the narrator as well as a family friend. The narrator’s father was more than a friend back to Mahdar, he was a savior whose influence led to business success which helped free the shoemaker from debt. The crux of the story, however, turns on the very last day they saw each other for the last time as the Hindus were forces to exile Pakistan. What seems to be a horrific display of a violent lack of loyalty by Mahdar to his friend turns out in the end to be quite ironically different in reality.