FLWL – From Lahore With Love

There are numbers, and then there are stories. Real families behind those numbers. And this week, one such story unfolded in a way that makes the heart sink: Muhammad Sadiq (also known as Khan Sb), the Afghan jeweller whose little shop in Liberty Market has been a treasure trove for silver lovers and antique collectors alike, has returned to Kabul, Afghanistan, with his family.

Sadiq Sb came to Lahore over four decades ago as a young man, building a life from scratch. He raised his children here, nurtured a thriving business, and became a familiar, cherished figure for countless visitors. His shop in Liberty Market, was more than a store – it was a sanctuary for those who cherished handcrafted jewellery and home décor, a place where gemstones, pendants, and antique trinkets carried history and stories of heritage. For years, avid antique buyers and silver enthusiasts wandered through the narrow corridors of Liberty Market, past bustling cloth vendors, guided by locals’ directions: “Arey bhai, Afghan jewellery wallaye ka dukaan kahan hay?” And there they would find Sadiq Sb, dignified, modest, and proud, manning the shop alongside his younger son in later years, his eyes reflecting the quiet satisfaction of a life built with patience and care.

Recently, when we got in touch, he apologized for the delay in responding: “Where I am in Kabul, the lights go off for 12-13 hours at a time, and the WiFi isn’t stable either.” Even his words, simple as they were, made one’s heart ache. To imagine someone who has spent over forty years building a life, uprooted and sent back to an impoverished, war-torn country…it’s a stark reminder of the human cost behind these statistics.

Over the past two years, Sadiq Sb had been carrying a quiet burden. He would sometimes mention, almost hesitantly, to his long-time clients that things were uncertain, that the future of his shop, his family, and his life in Lahore felt fragile. Yet never in a million years could anyone imagine that the streets of Liberty Market would one day feel emptier without him. Kabul Handicrafts was far more than a shop; it was a living archive of culture, a place where heritage was preserved in silver, gemstones, and the craft of centuries-old designs. Walking through the shop was to step into a world where memory and crafts intertwined…where every object carried a voice and a history.

To enter Kabul Handicrafts was to encounter devotion in art and culture. In identity. Antique necklaces, chandelier earrings, semi-precious gemstones, beaded jewellery and décor sourced from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Nepal and beyond – the shop was a living dialogue between past and present, between artisan and admirer. Prices may have been modest, but their worth extended far beyond money.

To walk into Liberty Market and into Sadiq Sb’s world was to experience something rare: the warmth of human touch in craftsmanship, the joy of discovery, and the subtle nostalgia that only truly authentic pieces can evoke. And now, this world has shifted, Sadiq Sb and his family, long-standing members of Lahore’s community, are no longer here. His departure is more than a relocation. It is a reminder that behind the harsh policy decisions and numbers, there are real people, families who have called Pakistan home for decades – whose lives are being upended. It is unfair. It is a violation of human dignity and, in many ways, human rights.

For those who have walked into Sadiq Sb’s shop, bartered kindly over a silver pendant, admired the glittering turquoise of an antique necklace, or simply felt the quiet magic of Kabul Handicrafts, this week marks the end of an era. It is a heartbreaking farewell indeed.