First Grain of Sand — Page 87
SOVIET PRESSURE INTENSIFIES 71 me and changed their plans for me. It was, thus, decided that I should be executed because the punishment for spying-even for their own citizens—is death by firing squad. In fact, around the same time, a Russian inmate had been taken out of our cell and was executed for this same accusation. By the grace and help of God Almighty, there were still guards and even some officers who were inclined towards me and would never be able to bear seeing my murder. Of the people who had sympathies towards me included the Christian officer who had presided over my first two interrogations, the translator who had become an Ahmadi Muslim, as well as a cleaning person who I first met during my imprisonment at Ashgabat. When I was transferred to Tashkent, he had also been reassigned to the same Tashkent prison. He was very kind to me and would help me. When the government decided to target me and planned my murder, they resolved to gather more incriminating evidence through interrogations or other means, even if their own agent accused me of being a spy. This was to ensure the highest officer had no doubt about my guilt. With this intention, they had placed many additional spies around me to find ways to make me look guilty. When I observed this behaviour and the additional suspi- cion with which I was being treated with all eyes on me, and that nearly everyone around me stopped providing me assistance and support, I began to lose hope for my life being spared. I became convinced that the seed of the Ahmadiyya Movement would be sown in this country with the blood of a martyr. It was with this realization that a longing emerged in my heart to see Darul-Aman [the Abode of Peace], Qadian, one more time, and to meet Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih one more time. But as time