I Wish the Light Movement Turns into An Influential Force

Narrator: Mohamad Yaseen Dawlat Shahi (uncle)

Victim: Ahmad Sharif DawlatShahi

Date of the incident: 23 July 2016

Location of the incident: Dehmazang, Kabul City

On 23rd July, I was preparing to take part in the demonstration. We live upstairs and Ahmad Sharif and his family lived downstairs; we all lived together. When I went downstairs, Ahmad Sharif was also ready. He had bathed, recited the Holy Quran, and offered prayers. We sat together at the table. My wife had prepared some french fries and we both ate a small amount. His mother put the remaining amount inside the bread and placed it in a plastic bag. She told Ahmed Sharif to take it with him because we would need it later. I put it in my bag, and he brought five bottles of frozen water. He joked with his mother, "Mom, do you think we are going to the desert that you put five bottles of water in the refrigerator for us?"

His mother said, “It is ok, you are not alone; others, too, may need water and drinking water may not be available at that time, so it is good to take these water bottles with you.” So, we put the water bottles in our bag and left the house. We had walked only a few steps away from the house when Ahmad Sharif looked back at me and said: "Uncle! The situation is not so good today. Try to stay close to us and not go far away." What I remember well is that he was talking like he had received information from someone indicating that the situation would turn bad that day. He even talked about death. I told him okay, Ahmad, do not worry, I will not leave your group today. We both arrived near Mosala. People had already gathered there. We were separated because someone from the People's Council of the Enlightenment Movement was looking for a person to oversee the generator they had set up for the stage.

No one accepted the responsibility Mr. Qalandari offered them, because everyone wanted to be actively involved in the demonstration. No one wanted to be inactive. I really felt sorry for him, so I went to him and said I would like to be in charge of the generator. I was stationed on the Kamaz truck from the beginning to the culmination of the demonstration, and up to the time of the explosion. It was parked close to the Dyna truck. The Kamaz truck moved two minutes after the explosion. During the demonstration, he would come to me, sometimes to drink water. Ahmad Sharif came to me about 15 or 20 minutes before the explosion and said, "Uncle, give me water." He even joked with his close friends and said, “We brought water for ourselves and we will not give it to you.” He and his friends drank the water. The event organizers were also sitting on the truck. He went towards them and said, “You sit here, all sides have been abandoned and the police have left. People are entering from every direction, and it is not clear who is who. The ice cream cart has entered the crowd. It's better that you get up and start enforcing order. God forbid, someone may get inside and decide to do something.” It was the last time I saw him. It was prayer time and Mr. Behzad passed by the Kamaz truck. Music was playing from inside the vehicle. He wanted them to stop the music and call people to gather for prayer.

Because it was very hot, there was not enough mineral water for everybody, and that's why the group suggested bringing a water tanker. They insisted that Ahmad Sharif should go for the water tanker, but he refused it because he didn't want to leave the impassioned stage of justice. Finally, they called someone else to deliver a tanker of drinking water. The water was not yet delivered when the incident happened; he was distributing food and water. When the explosion happened, some people were inside the truck. When they heard the explosion, they wanted to jump out. I told them to wait for a few minutes. God forbid, but another explosion could happen when they jumped out. People waited for a minute or two while others fled the scene. When we got out of the vehicle, an injured person near the vehicle was in critical condition. He said to me, “Please help me, I am dying.” I told him, God forbid, you won't die. I went to him, took him under his arm, and moved him to a different location, and helped him lean on something. I told him to wait there and that I would go get an ambulance for him.

I was helping the wounded and had no idea about the fate and condition of Ahmad Sharif. I was sure he had pulled himself out of that situation. After some time, I thought it would be good to call him to see how he was doing. I kept calling him, but the network said it was busy. Since he didn't answer my call, I got suspicious. I got a call from home. They said, “there was an explosion in Dehmezang, where are you?” I told them that I was helping the wounded at the site of the explosion. They asked about Ahmad Sharif. I told them I tried calling him, but he did not pick up his phone. After a while, the wounded and martyrs were picked up from the road and transferred to different hospitals. We went to Esteqlal Hospital. When I got there, I called his number again. Someone answered the phone, and I realized that it was one of the administrators of the hospital. He asked me how I was related to him. I told him that I am his uncle. He asked me to go meet him. When I went to see the person, he informed me of Ahmad Sharif's martyrdom.

Ahmad Sharif was a member and co-founder of the Afghanistan Victims’ Families Organization. He had lost his father for earning freedom. During the former Soviet reign, he graduated from one of the police academies as the top performer. Under Hafizullah Amin’s reign, he was pulled out of his house with his hands and feet tied and then killed. At that time, Ahmad Sharif was in his mother's womb and his older brother was just two-years-old. He had never met his father. The same thing happened to Ahmad Sharif’s daughter; she never got to see her father. Ahmad Sharif's 40th day of martyrdom had passed when his daughter was born. She did not get to see her father. He was the head of Afghanistan's Young Elite Generation. He was a sociable and friendly person. He was my main source of motivation in civic activities. To be honest, he would force me to attend meetings and encourage me to work for justice and peace.

Ahmad Sharif had obtained a master's degree. He studied at Ibn-e Sina and Kateb universities. It was almost three months since he had been appointed as a specialist in the Literacy Department of the Ministry of Education. After his martyrdom, all his colleagues shed tears for him even though he had just been appointed. This is the life of our people. But we are all proud, and even his mother is proud and says she is happy that Ahmad was martyred in the way of justice, freedom, and righteousness. He has two daughters named Setayesh and Parastesh. One of his friends showed me their private conversation in which Ahmad Sharif had told him, “I wish the Enlightenment Movement turns into an influential force in our society. Then, I won’t regret it if I am martyred or killed.”