The Afghan Martyrs — Page 133
King in utterly helpless conditions cast such a shadow of gloom on him that he felt he could not trust anyone and could not fmd a safe place of refuge near the capital. II Amaanulla Khan, who to save his crown had ordered an Ahmadi to be butchered like a goat, escaped from Kabul in great haste, fear and bewilderment. He was unable to take Queen Sureyya along with him and she was left behind at the mercy of Bacha Saqqa. Normally Pathans take great pride in protecting the honour and virtue of their wives and if the occasion demands, without the least hesitation they sacrifice their lives. Amaanulla Khan escaped to Italy via India. The Kingdom for which he had sacrificed the lives of Ahmadis to save was abandoned, along with his near and dear ones, including ladies of the Royal family all of whom remained at the mercy of a common bandit. Compare the splendour and authority of the Monarch of the realm of Afghanistan with the helplessness of an asylum seeker in Italy who finally met his death ignominiously. In this very life the Almighty showed Amaanulla Khan that in exactly the same way, as he had ruled that poor Ahmadis were infidels and apostates and had them stoned to death in order to save his crown, the divines in Afghanistan had unanimously resolved that he too was an infidel who had been expelled from the pail of Islam and was an apostate. A dossier was compiled and handed over to Bacha Saqqa which has been reproduced in a book named 'Fire in Afghanistan' written by Rhea Talley Stewart and published by Doubleday & Co. New York. The author said: "Mullahs had prepared this document in which they told the world 133