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Conflict in Balochistan 50
was another officer, who had moustaches, and the third officer sat on the left; he was also clean-shaven. I saw
most of our belongings and mobile phones spread on the table. I was then asked to point out my mobile phone
and other belongings.
I was asked a few questions as well.
“What is your name? Where are you from? What are you doing here in Karachi?” This particular day,
I was only queried for general information.
This was the first and last time that I was interrogated with my face uncovered, could see the faces of
the interrogating officers what the room looked like. It was also the last time they would speak to me in a
civilized manner.
After being asked a few general questions, my eyes and face were once again covered, and I was
taken back to my cell.
These 33 Days
I stayed at this place for a period of 33 days. I was interrogated for three to four hours daily, for the
first week. Sometimes they interrogated me in the morning, at other times in the evening. After the first week
passed by, I was given a prisoner’s uniform, after which they used to take me for interrogation every third or
fourth day.
How did I count the days?
We were arrested on Friday. The next day, in the evening, we were served rice with our meal. Every
Saturday, the man who served us our meals, would shout:
‘Today it is Saturday, you people will get rice too!”
By hearing this, I could count the days. After every week, I used to draw a line on the wall with my
handcuffs, in order to count the weeks. This is how I counted days and weeks.
The Uniform
After the first week I was handed two pieces of clothing, was told to wear them and hand over my
clothes. It was a white shirt and a white trouser, specially made for prisoners, as the word ‘prisoner’ was
written on the back of the shirt.
The meals
We were served tea everyday, early in the morning, along with two other meals. The meals were
served according to a routine, as on specific days of the week we got a specific meal, just like in army messes.
Mostly it was “daal” for the daytime meal, and a vegetable dish in the evening. Meat was served twice a week,
and on Saturday evenings we were served rice, after which I drew a line on the wall to mark the completion of
a week.
Toilet
I had to urinate in a bottle and empty it once a day, when I went for defecation. Defecation was a
torture itself, as a man would stand nearby and shout:
“Hurry up, you only have 40 seconds.” Then he would shout, “hurry up, your time is almost finished,”