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His shackles couldn’t keep him from chasing dreams, his will to survive could not be imprisoned, even death row failed to kill his brand of hope. Sohail Fida is easily Pakistan’s hero of the decade as the ultimate embodiment of this nation’s endurance. Many years ago, and like so many others, I too am guilty of shooting a sceptical reply to one of his missives: “So you are pleading innocence? Why would someone as young as you be in for murder?” This was met with cold, unusual wisdom — “Everyone claims to be innocent. I am just determined to make the most of my time while I wait to die,” was Fida’s stunning rebuttal. He was just a teenager then.
In that sentence, he had captured the rest of his life and has lived by each word. Today, Fida’s life story transcends both fiction and our collective imagination. Born in Mingora in 1982, Sohail was taken into custody for the murder of his cousin and then trapped by the police and the victim’s father into confessing a crime he says he never committed. The move sealed his fate for many years to come.
Luckily for him, his father managed to secure permission from prison authorities to allow his son to pursue his intermediate course. But, his year of success was more bitter than sweet — in 2002 he passed his exams and received a death sentence. He was then put on death row and shifted to Haripur jail. He went on to get a bachelor’s degree in 2004 and is currently awaiting the result of his second masters’ exam.
However, Sohail’s ambition was not the accumulation of certificates, it was enlightenment — he delved into English and Urdu classics, historical accounts, strategic studies, international relations, to name a few. And in 2007, following the result of his Current Affairs examination, his sentence was converted to life imprisonment. By this time, his letters to the editor had also caught media and NGO attention which led to HRCP espousing his cause. He was first moved to improved facilities where he completed his memoirs, Soul Unshackled, which in turn led to his recent release.
Sohail’s story is not one of cruelty and bitterness; nor is it the sympathy trap it can so easily become. Touching fleetingly upon trying times, some abuse and misery, he chooses to keep the focus on kindness — be it sympathetic wardens, cooperative inmates who taught him English and introduced him to literature and Marxist writings and members of civil society such as librarians and examiners who strengthened his quest for knowledge and survival.
Undoubtedly, Fida’s tale is human resolve at its most formidable. But by being a chronicle of individual willpower, it is also a testimony to the many evils that plague our justice system and prisons. Our jails are a long way from being correctional facilities; they are breeding grounds of crimes that make hardened criminals out of minor felons. According to ICG reports, our prisons exceed their capacity by a huge margin of over 30,000. Hence, jail staff and security apparatus is ill equipped to handle such large numbers, resulting in an absence of conformity and heightened criminal activity.
Second, under trials comprise a vast majority of prisoners which calls for both revision and vigilant enforcement of bail laws as well as revisiting all that slows down judicial processes; from political patronage, bribery and corruption within the ranks to accountability mechanisms. Our jails are also hot beds of militant activity, particularly in the Punjab and KP regions which is a direct outcome of poor vigilance. Also, large numbers and unhygienic environments turn our prisons into grave health hazards where infectious, sexual and terminal illnesses abound and go untreated.
With Sohail Fida’s story making international headlines, the time is now for our authorities to make the most of his limelight and commit to eradicating ill treatment of prisoners — after all Pakistan is a signatory of many treaties especially International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN Convention Against Torture that condemns any violation of prisoner rights. Lastly, life in prison must also include mental rehabilitation whereby counselling is made mandatory for serious and serial offenders.
This nation and its flawed system finally have a poster boy of survival in Fida. Therefore, his struggle must give greater and wider meaning to salvage many Sohail Fidas who have a dream but not the vision.
