Man narrates his ordeal in Taliban captivity

LASHKARGAH (PAN‘s captivity in the southern Pakistani city of Quetta, described the period the most disturbing in his life as he lost his left arm to frequent injections.

“It was around one and a half month ago when I met Afghan Taliban for the first time and it was in Quetta where I had gone for buying medicine,” the native of Loye Bagh area in Nad Ali district said.

“As I bought medicine, four men, wearing a bit dirty turban, intercepted me, saying they were also from Helmand. They offered me stay at a religious school, insisting I lacked travel documents and could be arrested by Pakistani police,” said Ahmad, who was then taken to the madrasa in the Zingali area.

“As soon as we entered the seminary, they pushed me into a dark basement and tied me up against a wall and shackled my left hand in a tight chain. They told me to phone father, who they said is a government official,” remembered Ahmad, who said not having his father cell number landed him in deep trouble as the atrocities began.

“The men threatened me to death if I failed to connect them with my father through the phone, insisting my father had raised a militia to fight the Taliban in Nad Ali,” he said, revealing another Afghan, a resident of Musa Qala district, was also held captive in the same place.

Ahmad condition started deteriorating day by day after he was frequently injected undetectable amounts of toxin. His plights finally came to an end four days ago when Pakistani police raided the seminary, but no arrests were made.

Ahmad said police and a Pakistani named Akhtar Mohammad, who owns a hotel Quetta, took him to a hospital, where his left arm was severed from his body.

His father Khudaidad told Pajhwok Afghan News he had searched for his son everywhere in Afghanistan, but failed to find him. “We were awaiting news about his death,” said the father who denied having a government position or spearheading any force, but did not rule out his friendship with the district chief.

“It would not have been so sad for me if my son was killed, it is heartbreaking to see him in this condition,” the father said.

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