Eyewitness account of Dr Aafia Siddiqui's brutal torture

Abu Juwairiya

Junior Member
Doctor Aafia Siddiqui and American senseless brutality by Professor Zia Ur Rahman

"The American senate report on CIA torture has again unmasked the falsehood of claims by the Human Rights champion USA. One year ago I had gone to Afghanistan and visited the province par-dan. There I met a former Bagram jail prisoner.

This 55 year-old afghan gentleman Sohrab Khan spent five years in Bagram jail for a crime not committed. Sohrab Khan described his ordeal that in 2003 he was in his car going towards Kabul when suddenly 4 army vehicles surrounded his car and CIA mercenaries came out and without saying anything pulled him out into their car and took him into a barrack in Bagram jail.

Later he found out that due to faulty intelligence they thought he was an informant for the Taliban. Sohrab Khan said when he was dumped in Bagram there were only two blocks named main floor and "Caspian". These blocks had a capacity of 500 prisoners but there were already eight hundred stuffed like flocks of lamb.

Most of these prisoners were innocent Afghans who were captured on suspicion of havering contact with the Taliban or acting as helpers and informants. Sohrab told me that daily dozens of people were dumped in the barracks and there was no space.

Later new blocks were built. Then special housing units with tiny cells were also made to accommodate special prisoners including persons from Europe, Arabian countries and Pakistan were kept in suspicion of al-Qaida.

Sohrab Khan then told me that in late 2003 in one of the special cells we noticed a woman whom we later identified as Aafia Siddiqui.

He told me that during his five years he met Aafia briefly four times and he comforted her as much he could. Sohrab then told me stuff on how the CIA and American agents treated Aafia. On hearing these head started constricting and blood pressure rose to dangerously high and I am still not recovered. Though I was familiar with Investigative reports, columns, news features, and TV programs on Dr. Aafia but what I heard from this man who had personally witnessed all this, ripped me apart.

Tears swelled in my eyes and my soul subdued. Dr Aafia Siddiqui was put there by no other than her own countryman who had sworn to protect every citizen with his life. Framing and Selling his Own Muslim brothers to American mercenaries, this dictator General Pervez Musharraf will never be forgiven in history.

Responding to one of my questions Sohrab Khan said in 2005 some American soldiers came and took Aafia in a helicopter three days later when she returned she was not on her feet but on a stretcher. We were told she had been taken to an American navy base in the Arabian Sea close to Karachi port, where to gather information she was brutally tortured. Every night we would hear horrifying screams that made us all cry.

Sohrab mentioned another episode he witnessed that one day as usual we could hear Aafia was reciting Quran an American lady soldier came and told her to shut up but she continued at this the furious brutal American lady guard grabbed Aafia and tied her to a chair and forced open her mouth and poured beer into her throat till she chocked. In retaliation to this shameful act all prisoners went on hunger strike.

When a senior officer found out about this incident he announced the transfer of that female guard and we ended the hunger strike.

Hearing this from Sohrab Khan I could not stop my tears rolling down. He said that one freezing January morning Aafia was brought down to the ground, Aafia was wearing the light cotton prison shirt , her feet were bare and shackled , while the CIA mercenaries and army personnel were wearing long boots thick warm coats and woolen caps. Sohrab Khan said the ground was in front of our barrack.

We were all curious and concerned what are they up to now? Sohrab said the sun had not completely risen and it was freezing, even inside our barracks we were shivering in cold. In this bitter cold those army guards poured buckets full of cold water on Aafia's head resulting in heart rendering and soul shuddering screams from her, after which one of the guards hit her with the rifle butt and ordered her to circle the ground. She could barely get up and tried to walk but stumbled on her shackles. This is the face of the flag bearer of human rights and champion of women issues the United States of America.

These American army personnel showed no sympathy towards this tied down weak young lady instead they beat her again and again till the screams were no more, continuing for about two hours. We all watched astounded, there was no remorse on those soldiers, they were enjoying it.

Sohrab Khan said that after 2005 two new blocks were built in Bagram jail and he was moved to one of them after which he did not see her again.

On hearing these few incidents of brutal torture on our innocent sister Aafia from a direct eyewitness I was shattered.

America's failure in Afghanistan despite having surplus money, most modern weaponry and a highly trained army is because of these acts resulting in sowing seeds of hatred. By acts like carpet bombing Afghanistan hospitals, populated localities, mosques and schools, Bagram and Guantanamo like dungeons where mostly innocent Muslims brutally tortured, America has squeezed the last ounce of compassion and mercy from its core. This has resulted in spreading more hate in Afghanistan".

Original report:
http://www.dailyislam.pk/…/…/04-01-2015/editorial/mag-02.php
 
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