My Heart Is Bleeding

Narrator: Mohammad Hasan Qasimi (father)

Victim: Jawad Qasimi

Date of the incident: 23 July 2016

Location of the incident: Dehmazang, Kabul City

In the name of God

My son's name is Jawad Qasemi. He attended the Asif Mayel school in Nazer Qala up to the fourth grade. My son the martyr served in the sixth police district for 6 years. He did not serve for robbery and looting, but for the safety of his countrymen. He and his commander and sixty of his colleagues were assigned to maintain security during the demonstration, but then the explosion happened. The soldier who stood next to my son told me the story: “Our commander was hit by shrapnel, then Jawad fell to the ground and was martyred a moment later.” Thus, he left me, his mother, and his wife all alone. It had been only three months since the wedding and his wife was pregnant.

He had asked us to choose a girl for him from among our relatives - we are from Daikundi. At his request, we chose a girl for him from there. After my son's martyrdom, I am careful to be considerate of his wife so she does not get upset and unhappy around us. Now we are awaiting his child’s birth, so that we can raise him into a good person. He will be the symbol of my martyred son.

I have faced many difficulties in my life. I would like to thank those who organized this workshop. Here we can open our hearts and get a little bit of relief from the pain. It is not only my son who was martyred in this incident; many young people sacrificed their precious lives in this way. After Jawad's martyrdom, many problems have arisen for me. Due to the sadness of missing him, I start shouting in the front yard at night and talking to myself. When I miss my son too much, I call him but I don't hear an answer, and this adds to my grief. A while before the demonstration, he came to me to get a haircut. When I was cutting his hair, my hands were shaking, that's why I told him, “I'm old now and I don't have the strength I used to have, what will I do if you're not there?” Javad replied, “I will take care of you as long as I am alive.”

His wife had gone to the countryside to visit her family. A week in her trip, the Dehmazang incident happened. I asked her to come back home because an incident had happened to my son. She came back to Kabul with her father. A week later, my daughter-in-law’s father returned to his home. His wife is currently living with us. May God never bring an incident like this to any other family. Ashraf Ghani is our president, but he is not competent. He has sold himself and his people to America.

When the incident happened, Jawad was transferred to the Qala-e Nazer Mosque. I went to the mosque, and asked Mohseni, the mosque Imam, if they had taken my son's body there. When I saw Jawad's dead body, I screamed and cursed Ashraf Ghani, Abdullah, Mohaqeq, Khalili, and Sarvar Danesh. I cried and said, “People's children are martyred, you are inconsiderate. Why did you not ensure the security of our people? Why did you leave our people alone? Aren't you the government? Is it not your duty to ensure the security of the country and its people? You are puppets and have committed great treason against your people.” We must unite; Pashtuns, Hazaras, Tajiks, and Uzbeks must unite and not allow the enemy to divide us. If our government is corrupt, we should not allow anyone to encroach on our land. We must protect our country, which is like our honor. We must be vigilant.

See what Mohaqeq and Khalili did to their people? They spilled the blood of our young people and abandoned us. If you are currently in power, it is only because of the people's support. Sarvar Danesh was our neighbor in Daikundi and Jawad had served him, but what did he do to my young boy? I have lost my senses. I hope my story and sharing my grief does not upset you. My heart is bleeding. I lost my young boy; his wife is pregnant and she has lost hope. She is enduring hardships because of us and because of losing her husband. After Jawad's martyrdom, the government told me to bring his documents from Daikundi. On the way there, a conflict was going on between two villains named Musa and supporters of Sheikh Anwar, and yet the government did not intervene. There is no proper government in Daikundi and there, everyone is his own master. In such conditions, poor and powerless people are being abused. Thank you again for tolerating my rambling speech.