“After we had spent a week in Haripur prison, my father came for a visit along with my mother. They sat on an old bed sheet across the three feet wide gate of the cell. Mother started crying and stopped only when my father told her not to make life more difficult for me. I could not bear seeing my mother sitting on the floor and wanted to tell her not to visit again, but did not have the heart to do so.”
He had been arrested and charged with murder just after he had passed his matriculation exams. After police forced him to sign a confession, he was sentenced to death for a crime he claims he did not commit.
This is where the story gets quite different from those of many other prisoners rotting in Pakistani jails.
While trying to adjust in prison cells and fighting for justice, he went on to pass, in a very short time, his Intermediate exams, and get a Bachelors, a Masters in History, a Masters in IR (securing 7th position in Pakistan) and a Masters in English.
His positivity, his determination and his zeal helped him see his death sentence commuted into life sentence. When we last spoke few days ago, he sounded very excited while telling me that he will be freed within just 5 months.
“Soul Unshackled”, simultaneously published in Urdu as “Na Qafas, Na Aashiyana” last month is story of a brave ambitious man living in Cell # 11, Central Jail, Haripur Hazara named Sohail Fida. Get a copy ASAP!
You can know more about the book here. You can also watch a video of documentary program and see him talking here. The excerpt at the top is from the book.
Filed under: Excerpts & Quotes, Misclaneous, Na Qafas Na Aashiyana, Pakistan, Prison, Sohail Fida, Soul Unshackled
