My grandpa was unjustly imprisoned when he was only 6 years old.
His imprisonment lasted 20 years.
Later in life, when the PDPA (Communist party) in Afghanistan had seized control, many people were being unjustly imprisoned.
My grandpa found himself in a position where he was able to leverage the power of high ranking PDPA officials to free innocent people from unfortunate and unjust fates.
On today’s episode, he shares one story about saving a family…and one of the members of that family being the sister-in-law of the same King who imprisoned him.
Here’s the twelfth segment of the SHACKLED interview series.
I said, “Yeah, I know Babrak Karmal.” He was the Secretary-General of Taraki. And he lived, not in our neighborhood…in our section. “I know him. Let’s go to him. I want to tell him about it if he’s not out from his house,” I said. My brother Zaid and I went in the car and left for Babrak Karmal’s house.
I saw Karmal come out the front door and my business card was in his hand. He said, “Khaled jan, can you give me the time?” He thought I was asking about something regarding my family’s properties in Afghanistan. “Yeah. I’m thinking about it,” he said.
Then he gestured for me to wait so he could say his hellos to everyone waiting for him. And then he came and told us, “You and Zaid jan go in my car.” He had a Russian jeep. I went in the car and waited until he joined us. He started talking to us about the jail he was in before with the commander.
“Okay. I will introduce you to the leader, Taraki. I have another thing to attend to, there is a minister waiting for a meeting with me…I have to go there,” he said.
“Yeah, sometimes…well, what has happened? What happened?” he asked.
Then he give them the order.
Taroon called Taraki’s office and relayed the situation.
He received approval to free Mahboob’s husband too. Her husband had a little boy from a previous wife. Then, the prison called again and said her husband is refusing to leave unless his son is freed too.
He said, “Ok, let the child free.
His mother was the sister-in-law of Zahir Shah.
Adam: The same King that put you in prison.
He called and let her free. Then, Zaid and Taroon went to bring them to Zaid’s home. It was altogether 4 people, one of them being a child.
Adam: So how did it make you feel to free a relative of the same person that put you in prison?
Khaled: Because for me it was not very important that one wife, one woman, one old woman should be an enemy to me.
Adam: So you couldn’t even imagine her as an enemy?
Khaled: No. Only I wrote in my book everything that he did, but no revenge…it is not about the revenge.
Adam: Did he ever thank you for freeing his relative? Did Zahir Shah ever say thank you?
Adam: But she’s his sister-in-law.
Khaled: No. Never did he say anything to me about that.
Adam: How did it make you feel to free the boy?
Adam: Do you have any last messages you’d like to share with the people?