Haroon Ahmed, capture in Iraq Haroon was around 40 years old in 2004. He had been working for three months in Qom, Iran, where he had travelled to expand his rice trade. Originally from Jaranwala, Faisalabad, Haroon explained that agriculture had been the family occupation for generations, but due to his physically “deteriorating [health] condition”, he had to explore other areas of the rice farming industry, and this is what had brought him to Iran. At the end of his three-month stay, it was the month of Muharram, and, as Haroon explained, Iran was a Shia majority country: everyone took time off to observe the holy month and business came to a standstill.42 Though Haroon did not state identifying as Shia, having nothing else to do, he said he decided to go to the holy sites in Iraq as well. “I also thought that the martyrs were our religious scholars and leaders who made sacrifices centuries ago.43 So I went to Iraq as well.” Haroon’s family did not hear from him for about six months, and had no idea of his whereabouts until they received a letter from the ICRC stating he was incarcerated in Bagram. Later that year, they began to receive censored letters from him, every month or so, in which he did not explain what had happened to him nor described his conditions. In early 2011, Haroon’s brother, Usman, hand-delivered a letter to the Foreign Office addressed to the Foreign Secretary asking the Pakistani government to take steps to help secure Haroon’s return. When he did not receive a response, Usman travelled to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad and, while there, contacted an official whose name a friend had given him. He was told that his brother was, in fact, due to return to Pakistan, and that the family would be notified two days prior. About five months passed and the DRB called Usman asking about Haroon’s family circumstances, and whether he had any connections to terrorist groups. They said they were ready to release Haroon and told Usman to urge the Pakistani government to repatriate him. Usman then phoned his contact at the Foreign Office and informed him about the conversation with the DRB. In response, the official said that Haroon would return in three to four days. Usman waited for the days to pass and called back, but there was no response. He kept trying several more times, but never heard back. Haroon had two somewhat differing accounts leading to the circumstances of his capture (see page 7). In one, in Baghdad for a few nights, and needing a place to stay, Haroon happened to meet a fellow Pakistani named Salah. In an extension of brotherly hospitality, Salah invited Haroon to stay at his place. In another account, in order to continue travel to Iraq, Haroon said he sought permission from Iranian immigration authorities and then went to the Iraqi immigration department, which stamped his passport. Upon crossing the border, some authorities pointed to a place for pilgrims to stay. Here, he noted that the reception staff “wrote down something from my passport in  During the month of Muharram, many Shias travel on pilgrimage to the holy sites of Iraq.  Here, Haroon is referring to the battle of Karbala, which was fought between the Prophet’s (pbuh) grandson and the army of Yazeed. 42 43 32