assistance is typically too little to make such a trip realistic. 74 With a monthly income between $150 and $300 family members of current detainees are simply in no position to afford such travel and are often unable to forgo work and income for an extended period of time. Junaid has been held since 2008 and leaves behind a wife and three young children, the eldest being 13 years-old. Junaid’s wife, children, parents and siblings all live in Abottabad, two and a half hours drive away from Islamabad. Junaid’s brother, Ali, is now the only one working with their father in the family business, a steel mill. On a video-call with his family Junaid told his brother, Ali, not to visit him because the burden of work would fall on their elderly father. “Once I asked my brother if I should come to Bagram and visit him. He forbade me from coming,” explained Ali, “He said that if I come, our father will bear all the load of the work.” 75 Resources are not the only impediment to Pakistani families visiting their relatives in detention. Family members are afraid of being detained by the U.S. or Afghan governments, hurt or killed in armed clashes and attacks that make travel between the two countries, particularly in the border regions, extremely fraught. Maqsood’s brother-in-law, Mukhtar, was told he and his family could visit the DFIP to testify before the DRB. Scared of the security situation in Afghanistan, particularly for a Pakistani, he chose not to go. “We were allowed to come to Bagram twice to visit for the DRB hearings,” said Mukhtar, “They told us we could come. But we decided not to go because the security situation was very bad and there is strong prejudice against Pakistanis in Afghanistan.” 76 Imran’s brother, Ibrahim, has been held at the DFIP since 2003. Originally from Swat, Imran now lives in Karachi where he drives a rickshaw. Although he wants to visit his brother at the DFIP, Imran is anxious that he, too, will be detained. “I wanted to try myself to go and meet my brother and asked the ICRC if they could help”, Imran explained. “They said that they cannot take responsibility for me and cannot help me if I am detained by the Afghans or Americans. They said I should go there on my own if I want to meet him.” 77 Unable to visit their relatives at the DFIP, family members of detainees must rely on the video teleconferences and phone calls organized by the ICRC to communicate with their loved ones. To participate, families must travel to one of several cities within Pakistan which often means taking a day off work and losing valuable income for those who live on daily wages. “I am the only one working,” said Gul Muhammad, whose son Kaleem has been in detention since 2008, “if Kaleem was here he would have been able to help me with the house expenses. I have to take holidays more often to go for my calls with Kaleem. If I did not take those holidays I could work and it would be manageable.” 78 Although they must travel far and lose valuable income, families gladly shoulder these burdens if it means speaking an hour with their detained relatives. Yet conversations between detainees and their relatives are censored and they are unable to speak openly. The U.S. military permits detainees to discuss their health and personal matters only. They are prohibited from any mention of the 74 Justice Project Pakistan interview with a U.S. government official (name, date, location withheld). Justice Project Pakistan interview with Ali, April 2013 (real name, location withheld). 76 Justice Project Pakistan interview with Mukhtar, November 2012 (real name, location withheld). 77 Justice Project Pakistan interview with Imran, April 2013 (real name, location withheld). 78 Justice Project Pakistan interview with Gul Muhammad, December 2012 (real name, location withheld). 75 23