Freed Gitmo inmate narrates horrific plight

by  Syed M Aslam

Karachi: Qari Saad Iqbal Madni recalls the horror of 98 months of torture that begun with his pre-dawn arrest on January 19,2002 in Jakarta, Indonesia and ended with his release from the infamous Guantanamo Bay Prison last month. Saad, a Qari and Hafiz-e-Quran, is a cripple now- the electric shocks have taken a heavy toll on his legs. He is also near-death because the long torture has done irreparable and severe damaged to his ears and the head.

Saad is one of the 37 ‘missing persons’ on whose behalf a local lawyer and the chairman of an NGO, namely Human Rights and Civil Liberties Society of Pakistan, Nisar A. Mujahid has filed a Constitution Petition in the High Court of Sindh that prays the court to direct the government to fulfill its obligations under Articles 10, 14, 35 and particularly 38 (D) to families and children of 38 persons detained within and outside the country without ever being produced in a court of law or any information to their relatives. The list include the name of Dr. Afia Siddiqui, who is awaiting sentencing in New York for firing on American soldiers in Afghanistan; Khalid Shaikh Muhammad the alleged mastermind of 9/11 terror attacks now incarcerated in Gitmo; Saifullah Parachi and his son Uzair Paracha who were arrested in Bangkok and New York respectively and now detained in Gitmo.

According to Nisar Mujahid Advocate Qari Saad provided him details of the alleged horrific incidents on the phone as well as in discreetly and ‘toned-down’ writings, which is now a part of court records in the petition he is pleading.

According to the information provided to Mr. Mujahid, Qari Saad is a resident of Lahore, the second biggest city of the country. Saad alleges that after his arrest he was flyed in the special aircraft of the US CIA to Washington, Jakarata, Diego GarciaDiego Garcia. Was kept in an old grave near the Pyramids in Egypt where he could not lay down but could only sit. He was also flown on the special aircraft to Pakistan, the detention facility in Bagram, Afghanistan where he was incarcerated next to Dr. Afia Siddiqui, better known as Prisoner 650 then, where he could easily hear her torturous cries during the third degree interrogation.

Saad narrates that he was flown to Gitmo on March 23, 2003 via Turkey and alleges that during every single of his flyings in the special air craft of the CIA he was stowed inside coffins with black goggles on his eyes, hood on his eyes, taped mouth and ears plugged. In addition, he allege he was also kept fettered from the neck to feet with hands tied on his back and ordered to sit in kneeling position with his head down. He says that he was frequently flied in this position from one to another place for six months.

Talking about the nature and degree of torture Saad alleges that he was subjected to the third degree torture that included electric shocks to the body, particularly the knees, kicks and slappings, falling tap water on the head while blind-folded and hoodes, a six month spell in a steel box measuring 6x4 feet in total nudity in extreme temperatures that could be absolutely chilling or humid. Was also kept hungry and thirsty.

Saad says he was incarcerated near the cages that Khalid Shaikh Muhmmad, Saifullah Paracha, Dr. Ammar Balouch, an ex-husband of Dr. Afia Siddiqui, Majid KhanMajid Khan, Ghulam Rabbani and Ghulam Raheem Rabbani, brothers who belong to Karachi was kept in Guantanamo Bay.

Talking about the attitude of doctors Saad quotes them as saying, “we do not see you as patients , we see you as an enemy”, “we are not doctors but soldiers and Americans”.

The names of 37 ‘missing person’ the families and children of whom Advocate Nisar A. Mujahid is praying the Sindh High Court to order the government to provide help and welfare is aid is produced below:

S.No. Name Job Missing since/From Province Status

1. Muhammad Ibrahim - 12.7.06 Karachi Sindh Missing

2. Majid Khan Softwr Eng. 5.3.03 -do- -do- Gitmo

3. Saifullah Paracha Businessman 5.7.03 Bangkok -do- Gitmo

4. Uzair Paracha MBA 28.3.03 New York -do- USA

5. Abdul Karim Mehmood Engineer 12.6.03 Karachi -do- Missing

6. Muhammad Israr Textile Tech. Feb 05-06 Karachi -do- -do-

Israr was picked up again on 20.10.06 in Karachi

7. Khan Muhammad --- Khairpur/Sindh -do- Missing

8. Ali Comp. Eng. 22.5.03/Karachi -do- Gitmo

9. Khalid Shaikh Muhd Engineer March 03/Rawlpindi -do- Gitmo

10. Jahangir Army Personnel 17.3.05/CMH -do- Missing

11. Yasir ArafatYasir Arafat Factory Worker 12.4.07 -do- -do-

12. Alim Jumma --- 11.2.06/Mand Kakuran -do- -do-

13. Bashir Hussain Shah Journalist 25.12.06/Hyderabad -do- -do-

14. Gresh Kumar BE 17.8.06 -do- -do-

15. Mohd Faisal Sami Business 10.11.05/Karachi -do- -do-

16. Mohd Saeed Barohi --- 10.3.06/Karachi -do- Sindh(Case Open)

17. Agha Hassan Reza --- 25.4.06/Karachi -do- Missing

18. Dr. Afia Siddiqui Doctor 2002/Karachi -do- USA

19. Maula Bukhsh --- 10.7.06/Jamshoro -do- Missing

20. Qari Muhammad Aslam --- 18.12.05 -do- -do-

21. Abdullah --- 26.12.06/Gadani -do- -do-

22. Abdul Rahim Rabbani Taxi Driver 11.9.02 -do- Gitmo

23. Ahmed Ghulam Rabbani Poultry/Fish Bus. 11.9.02 -do- -do-

24. Ghulam Shabbor Soomro MA 18.10.05 -do- Missing

25. Mustafa Azam Student A Level 13.906/Karachi -do- -do-

26. Faheemullah Seminary Student 28.11.06 -do- -do-

27. Muhammad Nadir --- 7.2.07 -do- -do-

28. Malik Manzoor Ahmed --- --- -do- -do-

29. Zain-ul-Abedin Property Dealer 3.10.07 -do- -do-

30. Adnan Babar Mirza Student 2 ½ years -do- -do-

31. Shiraz Ali Qazi -do- --do-- -do- -do-

32. Abrar Hassan --- 18.10.08/Khi Airport -do- -do-

33. Abdul Gul Abbasi --- 30.11.07 -do- -do-

34. Abdul Qayyum Shopkeeper 9.4.09/Cantt Station Khi ---- -do-

35. Tabish Reza Employee 24.7.09/Quetta Balochistan -do-

36. Qurban Ali Student 24.9.01/Quetta --do-- -do-

PS: The list listed 38 names but it actually comprises 37 ‘missing persons’ because one name was repeated twice. I informed this to Mr. Nisar Mujahid who thanked me and said that he would make appropriate change to inform SHC about the same.