First Grain of Sand — Page 39
THE ARTYK PRISON 23 being a British subject because the Russian government had a very tense relationship with the British. However, since my faith forbids me from lying, I did not accept or follow this advice. Though it is highly possible that speaking this lie could have led to my release, how can any Ahmadi Muslim even contemplate lying? As my fellow inmates would give me this advice, I simply remained silent, but before God Almighty I would fall in prostration, weeping to my Lord and supplicating Him to come to my aid. After another seven or so days in captivity, a young Turkish inmate-who also spoke Russian and Persian well-had good relationships with the Russian officers and said to me with great love and concern that I should make a bid for escape to the nearby Iranian or Afghan border. He said he has specific knowledge about me and how the Russian officers perceive me with great suspicion. He said they will transfer me to Ashgabat, then to Tashkent, and then from there to Moscow. He finished by telling me that they will ultimately either kill me or leave me in a condition that is as good as dead. For this reason, he advised that at night I go with one of the patrolling officers to relieve myself [which is done out- doors] and then make a run for the Iranian border which is only one and a half miles away. This way, I would quickly escape from the reach of the Russians; otherwise, he warned that I would be compelled to face great difficulties and pain because the Russians particularly despise Indians. He further explained that the reason Russians hated the Indians intensely was because in the closing stages of World War I, in this very area, the Indian army led by the British had inflicted heavy losses on the Red Army and occupied this land from the