Shahbaz Taseer recounts first days in captivity in new note

Son of slain Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer recounted his first days in captivity

In a note titled My first day in Mir Ali, Shahbaz Taseer, the son of slain Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer, has recounted how his captivity began.

Taseer used Facebook to post a detailed account of how his struggle to adapt to his new surroundings commenced  -- trying to get used to mental and physical abuse, hunger and immense fear.



"It is amazing how given time, a human being can adjust to even the most vile and abnormal situations and circumstances. Today my struggle to adapt begins; a struggle to get used to the hunger, pain, mental and verbal abuse and of course fear, the only scheduled contents of the days ahead," Shahbaz wrote on Facebook. His wife Maheen Taseer shared the note with a caption that read, "And this is just 1 day out of the 1,700 days he spent there."

The note further describes how his captors 'barked' instructions and insults at Shahbaz. "I am in a very dark room and the only ray of light creeps in from a tiny hole in the ceiling which will be used to put the heater’s exhaust pipe through in the winters. The first assault on my senses is the stench," he recalled.

Drawing parallels between the life he led before and during captivity, Shahbaz writes, "I think of the comfort of my bed back home. I raise my hands and look at the rusted metal chains at my wrists; how different from the beautifully crafted and caressing bracelet of my favorite Rolex.



"I am trying to ignore the gnawing and grumbling vacuum of hunger in my belly. I am aware of only pain and fear. Will I survive today? Will I be alive by the end of the week?"

On his first day in Mir Ali, Shahbaz, then trying to make sense of multiple emotions, thought about his father and recalled what he had learnt from him over the years. "Perseverance. I tell myself that someday I will look back and smile at all of this, and this thought gives me some strength," Shahbaz writes.

While reading about his ordeal left some petrified, others found it unbelievable. In an earlier interview, Shahbaz, who is in his early 30s, described his survival as a “personal victory”.

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