Five months of Pakistani journalist in Jalalabad prison - XII
Faizullah Khan was detained by Afghan authorities in eastern Nangarhar province in April 2014.
Part - 12: (Intriguing account of a Pakistani journalist captured in Afghanistan for interview of Taliban leadership)
Read Part - 11 here: Five months of Pakistani journalist in Jalalabad prison – XI
Hazrat Ameen use to provide me facility in that horrible jail in a way that whenever I went for ablution he provided me with extra two or three minutes. Intelligence officials had shut my window however; this behavior was not adopted with other prisoners. Instead a small window inducted in their door was opened occasionally. In fifteen days, I had recognized the prisoners in other cells by face and whenever there was a chance we use to talk in gestures.
In front of my cell, a militant of Afghan Taliban was incarcerated. His name was Bashar Mill and he was a group commander. His work was to place IED bombs in the routes of NATO and Afghan forces. He was quite skilled in his work and was brave enough to admit his operations with a firm resolve that once he gets freedom he will continue his activities.
He made all his revelations in front of the intelligence officials due to which he had to face brutal violence by the Afghan officers. We remained in the jail together afterwards as he was sentenced to several years in prison.
In that same cell a Pakistani belonging to Peshawar was also present who came here for business but was arrested later due to business rivalry. He got freedom afterwards on giving Rs14 lac.
In front of my cell, a militant of Afghan Taliban was incarcerated. His name was Bashar Mill and he was a group commander. His work was to place IED bombs in the routes of NATO and Afghan forces. He was quite skilled in his work and was brave enough to admit his operations with a firm resolve that once he gets freedom he will continue his activities.
My arrival was of interest to the whole cell. In two days, fifteen of the prisoners had known that a Pakistani journalist was present among them. I had nothing to do while spending time in the cell. All the time I use to stare at the ceiling and the walls or was listening to the chirping of birds.
There was nothing to do besides offering prayers and reciting the Holy Quran.
The only thing that keep coming in my mind was that when will I be freed from this hell. Before coming to Afghanistan, I had severe pain in my ear due to which I had brought the medicines with me but now they were in the possession of Afghan officials. I told about my health to the officers there and asked for my medicines several times but they never took it serious and use to consider it as my excuse.
I had completed five days in prison. One night suddenly the cell door opened on which I woke up in a rush. An intelligence official was standing aside me," Get up! It is time for your investigation.” I went with him. He handcuffed me and transferred me to a room where three officers were interrogating other prisoners separately. The intelligence officer was Uzbek and belonged to northern areas of Afghanistan.
The intelligence officers believed that I was sent in Afghanistan by ISI for the purpose of spying and was making them fool by not telling the truth.
Contrary to my expectations he welcomed me nicely and gave me a chilled water bottle. The interrogation began. The questions were the same old ones which were asked to me earlier so I uttered the same answers.
The intelligence officers believed that I was sent in Afghanistan by ISI for the purpose of spying and was making them fool by not telling the truth.
He also heard my journey from Karachi to Jalalabad and wrote it in Persian. I was then sent back to my cell after two-hour long interrogation.
Read the Urdu version here: Five months in Jalalabad prison
