Five months of Pakistani journalist in Jalalabad prison - V
Faizullah Khan was detained by Afghan authorities in eastern Nangarhar province in April 2014.
Part - 5: (Intriguing account of a Pakistani journalist captured in Afghanistan for interview of Taliban leadership)
Read Part - 4 here: Five months of Pakistani journalist in Jalalabad prison - IV
The air conditioner of the car was outstanding. As I sat in the car the feeling of hotness just chilled away. After travelling for some time we reached Karkhano which is located in the outskirts of Peshawar.
The hotels situated here have floor seats and are visited by people for a short interval to have Kahwa and relax from the tiring journey.
“We will have lunch here and then move forward,” Imran said. I had to obey him willingly or forcefully but I didn’t have the slightest idea that this will be the last good lunch of my life for the next five and a half months.
“The food here is quite famous and tasty. We feed our guests here while travelling,” he told me.
The waiter brought the food and we ate it in a short while. After having lunch we went out of the hotel where I saw a number of costly cars in a nearby compound. “This is the showroom,” my guide informed me. “But the registration of these cars is not done here and influential people buy them and roam about in the whole country.”
“We will have lunch here and then move forward,” Imran said. I had to obey him willingly or forcefully but I didn’t have the slightest idea that this will be the last good lunch of my life for the next five and a half months.
Saying this he had an exceptional hardness on his face and hatred that was obvious from his tone. “We are out here to cut necks of such brutal people,” he said and turned to the car in which we had to complete our next journey.
The driver had bought water, juice and chips. Now we departed for Toor Kham.
I had absolutely no idea that the path will be so wrecked as the construction of the road was in process. The driver was moving skillfully which showed that he had good knowledge of the way.
FC officials were also standing on various points and were searching suspicious people in the cars but we do not had to face any such situation.
My host didn’t spoke another word in this three hour long journey whereas he also answered me in only yes and no. He also told me that he is not allowed to speak much.
We had reached Landi Kotal. On reaching Peshawar, I thought that we will go to Waziristan but when the driver moved the car towards Khyber, I was convinced that we will go either Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency or any other place.
When we reached Landi Kotal I asked my guide, “Where exactly we have to go?” on which he replied, “Afghanistan.” “What?” I exclaimed in a state of shock and worry after hearing the destination.
“Yes, we will cross the border and will transfer you safely to our headquarter,” he notified. “But I do not have papers.” I told him.
“Ehsanullah Ehsan has ordered us to bring you Afghanistan. The rest you can decide for yourself whether you want to go or not,” he said in a definite tone.
I wondered about the British journalist Yvonne Ridley who also crossed the Afghanistan border without documents and those other journalists who keep on doing such adventures, therefore; I decided to take this risk and indeed I did.
The situation had turned pretty dramatic. It was a crime to cross the border without travel documents but on the other hand the big news was luring me.
I wondered about the British journalist Yvonne Ridley who also crossed the Afghanistan border without documents and those other journalists who keep on doing such adventures, therefore; I decided to take this risk and indeed I did.
“We will cross the border in guise of merchants,” Imran told me his plan. “I will lead you and if anyone stopped you, you will draw him towards me while telling them that you accompany me to look for engines of cars."
Toor Kham border is relatively a trouble-free passage as thousands of Pakistanis enter into Afghanistan and the same amount of Afghan refugees return to their country from it.
Usually these people are neither searched nor their travel documents are checked. Trollies which are interestingly called ‘Karachi’ are driven by young boys, who trasfer women and elder people on both sides of the border.
Read the Urdu version here: Five months in Jalalabad prison
