Afghan scholar arrested

Published October 1, 2006

PESHAWAR, Sept 30: An Afghan scholar, who had returned from Guantanamo Bay after languishing there for three-and-half years, was picked up by an intelligence agency, his son claimed on Saturday.

Abdur Rahim Muslim Dost was picked by the sleuths of the intelligence agency with the help of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) after Friday prayer in the University Town area, his son Abdul Ahad told Dawn.

He has been ‘punished’ for a book he had written about his detention, first by the Pakistani intelligence agency in Peshawar and then by the US army at Bagram prison in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Mr Ahad said.

In the book, written in Pashto language and co-authored by his brother Badruz Zaman Badr, who was also his companion at the Guantanamo Bay, they had blamed Pakistani agencies and US army for subjecting the Muslims to atrocities.

“He used to discuss his experience in the prisons in public and it can be the only reason of his rearrest,” Mr Ahad added.

On Saturday, police also visited their house in Spina Waray area, but they were not interested in their help, Abdul Ahad said, adding that in Pakistan no one can help you if one of your friends or relatives is picked up by an intelligence agency.

Muslim Dost had migrated to Peshawar from his village near Jalalabad city of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province in 1972. He was released from Gouantanamo Bay last year, his son added.

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