After The Mine Explosion, He Used to Draw with His Mouth

Narrator: Mohammad Ali (brother)

Victim: Shah Hussain Hamdard

Date of the incident: 23 July 2016

Location of the incident: Dehmazang, Kabul City

We come from Ghazni Province, in the district of Malestan. Martyr Shah Hossain was born in 1985. He was a shepherd until he was ten-years-old. Then his fingers were severely injured by a landmine explosion and, as he used to say, he became disappointed in life. He was working at Abdul Hamid's house as a child worker. The sheep had gone to the top of a mountain and they told him to bring the sheep down so that they don't get lost. According to him, he found an object like a round tin container. He tried to open it but he could not. So, he put it on a rock and as soon as he hit it with another rock, it exploded. The explosion cut off the fingers of both his hands, the shrapnel hit him in the eye, his clothes were completely burnt, and his toe was cut off. Despite the many problems he encountered in life, he was not the type of person to easily give up; he kept trying. He started school at the age of 11 and with endless efforts, he successfully completed it. He always tried to remain strong as a mountain in the face of adversity. With great effort, he entered university and got a scholarship in India. Once he did his bachelor’s degree, he decided to go to Germany to continue his education, but death took this opportunity from him; he was martyred during the 23rd July incident.

Following his accident with the landmine, he started attending school in the third grade in Shirdagh, in Malestan District. With great courage, he did not let himself be overwhelmed by despair, and continued his studies. He attended middle school in Shirdagh and high school in Jaghori. After that, he moved to Kabul. For a few years, he studied at the Abdul Ghafoor Soltani High School. He was recognized as a disabled person by the Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled. He received a scholarship to attend an Indian university to continue his education and studied Computer Science for four years. On the 27th of the holy month of Ramadan, he graduated from the university in India and returned to Kabul. He participated in the 23rd July demonstration and was killed there.

He was a very good-natured and kind person who socialized with everyone. He had a good sense of humor. He was a joyful person. He had many friends both in India and in Afghanistan. I can say that everyone who knew him holds onto fond memories of him. In 1996, when his hand was injured by a landmine, he did not lose his spirit and started painting using his mouth and two fingers. Even in India, he was painting at the same time as doing his studies. He sold his paintings and provided for the family's expenses in this way. He lived with my mother and four sisters. I was living separately. One of my sisters had three children from her marriage; her husband disappeared after he got addicted to drugs and we still do not know what happened to him. Despite all these problems, martyr Shah Hossain supported the family financially.

On the day of the incident, he went to Dehamzang with some of his friends. They had told him that it was good to go to a hotel to have lunch as they were all hungry and it was already 1 pm. Some of his friends even went back to their homes. But he told them that if they left, the protest would lose its momentum. He tried to get everyone to stay. He told them they could ignore lunch or keep fasting, but should not leave the protest area. His friends went to their homes but he stayed there. Then the incident happened at 2:34 pm and he was killed. I have his writings and I will read you a few lines.

Hand written notes of the martyr:

Greetings from Shah Hossain Hamdard, son of martyr Alireza Haidari. I was born in 1985 to an education-loving family, in the village of Maaka Shirdagh, Malestan District, Ghazni Province. In 1990, I lost my beloved father, the only hope of my heart, my protector and guardian, in an attack by the enemies of the homeland in the Kondolo area of Khas district in Uruzgan Province. The special love and affection that my father had for me will never be forgotten. On an unforgettable spring morning, he hugged me for the last time. It was breakfast time and he held me on his lap. We were eating dried lamb together. My father used to put food in my mouth with his loving hands. I will never forget him telling me, “My little son, beloved Shah Hossain will be a great character, a man of culture, a supporter of the poor, the weak, and a just person.” I will never forget it. Every moment that passed was a new memory for me and I learned new things. In 1995, my mother asked me to tend to the sheep and I became a shepherd. By 1996, I was incharge of the sheep of the entire village. In 1997, I worked at Sayyed Sadiq’s house as a child worker. In 1998, I worked at the house of Sadeq Karimi. In the spring of 1997, I worked at the house of Abdul Hamid, the son of Haji Mirza Hussain. In May 1999, a heartbreaking thing happened to me. The incident made me feel all my wishes, desires, and ambitions now lay in ruins. This incident put my life in danger and I was overwhelmed with despair for almost two years. Then God opened another door for me: education. In 2001, I entered the third grade at the Shirdagh High School.

On top of my studies, I worked as a health worker at CHW Institute for three years. I attended Ustad Ghafoor Soltani High School in beautiful and education-centered Jaghori. After graduation, I worked for two years and a few months with the Afghan election process in Jaghori, Malestan, and Nahor districts of Ghazni Province. After graduating from school in 2011, I passed the university entrance exam, scored 273 marks, and was admitted to study electromechanics in Balkh. But I gave it up because I was not interested in the subject. In 2010, I took part in the entrance exam at Goharshad University, scored 252 marks, and was admitted to study political science. I am currently doing my second semester at this university.

My martyred brother’s wishlist: I will do my master's degree in India and my doctorate in Germany. I wish to serve Afghanistan and its suffering, impoverished, and hardworking people with honesty, courage, and bravery. Throughout their life, people are indebted to their teachers, mother, homeland, and conscience. Thank you for your attention.