The Well of Death

Narrator: Pari Gul

Victim: Sayed Shah Ibrahim

Date of the incident: 1992

Location of the incident: Kabul City

War is the most egotistical and brutal manifestation of humankind. It does not produce anything except horror and destruction. It does not distinguish between old or young, men, women, or children. The lashes of war hurt everyone’s body. At the same time, not everyone suffers equally from war. Some suffer more, some less. But it is those who did not actively partake in the creation of war that usually bear the brunt of all the suffering. It is them who are victimized by a fate designed by others.

The story of Sayed Ibrahim Shah’s murder uncovers one such catastrophic consequences of war. He was an ordinary citizen with no links to the world of politics. His only crime was that he lived in Dasht-e- Barchi, a neighborhood of Kabul that had become synonymous with suffering. Here, everyday there was a strong likelihood that a rocket or stray bullet would kill someone. It seemed that the lives of its population were not regarded as worthy of living. It appears that those who unleashed the violence were doing it for the pleasure of seeing the people of Dasht-e-Barchi suffer. Sayed Ibrahim Shah had no other place to live; Dasht-e-Barchi was his only and final refuge.

Living in an environment of constant terror, Sayed Ibrahim Shah was well aware that he had a responsibility to protect his family. Therefore, he sent them far away to Behsud district while he and one of his sons remained to look after his home and belongings. It was the last time his family members would ever see him.

One day, he was walking the streets when he was apprehended by his own countrymen and taken to the Company area of Kabul. First, his family did not know about his whereabouts. Later, they found out that the he had been arrested by a local commander, detaining him in his own private jail. Sayed Ibrahim Shah’s family paid several bribes to secure his release but all they received in return was a turban, a hat, a toothbrush, and toothpaste.

There are different stories about how he was killed. According to one of them, the militias threw him down a well, which is where local residents later found him.

Pari Gul is one of his family members. She tells the story of Sayed Ibrahim Shah as follows:

The Story of Pari Gul

Sayed Ibrahim Shah was both my uncle and father in-law. He was killed during the civil war in Kabul, during which he and my husband remained in the city while the rest of the family was sent to Behsud. One day, he had just left his home when one of the warring factions arrested him and took him to Company area, where he was locked up in a private jail. He was detained together with his friend and spent three months there. He was then murdered and buried. We never saw his dead body.

In fact, we only came to know about his murder after we received his turban, hat, and toothbrush. The man who brought his possessions told us how the militias had tortured him. With his feet in chains, he supplied water to the militia base every day. Eventually, his dead body was found in a well. Later on, the people from the area took him out of the well and gave him a proper burial. All that is left from him is his turban, hat, and toothbrush. I now want to show these objects to other people so they understand that the militias killed a 70-year-old man!