Qaid Kahani Season I
Qaid Kahani is a fictionalised account of real life stories from Pakistani gallows. These stories have been narrated in a way that every story humanises the death row in a way that erodes the shadows of hatred, taboo and vengeance inflicted upon these prisoners.
Episode 1:
Muhammad Shafique, a 15 year old Kashmiri Kid living in Karachi and working as a caretaker at a residential building, was framed as a kidnapper and murderer of a child. The police booked Shafique under Anti-Terrorism laws as a 23 year old despite being a juvenile. Episode 1 highlights the institutional flaws in Pakistani Judicial System which ultimately lead to executions of people who were juvenile or were tortured to obtain a confession.
Episode 2:
Nisar Ali not only found purpose and meaning in pursuing education while he was counting his days on the death row but also inspired more than 400 prisoners to acquire education and reform themselves. His story is an example of why every soul should be given a chance to redeem his sins, even those who are tainted with the blood of another person.
Episode 3:
For Shaukat Ali, a schizophrenic death row prisoner, the world is a game of chess between the good and the evil, and he is a white pawn making his way to become a queen. Shaukat Ali has been on death row for killing a clergyman under the influence of his delusions and is facing an immanent threat of being executed anytime.
Episode 4:
Parveen bibi has been on death row since 1991, and these past 26 years have not only muted her but took away her memories, she has lost the track of time.After being tortured to attain a confession by the police in a case she has been in prison, Due to her mental state she has been shifted to Punjab Institute of Mental Health where she has not spoken a word since and does not recognize anyone.
Episode 5:
Abdul Qadir, a paralyzed death row prisoner, has paid more than the price of his wrong doings. The ever looming threat of being executed any time now and his time in prison have become a cage that has been keeping his imagination a hostage. He is a prisoner of a past he can never forget and a future he had never hoped for.
Episode 6
Ghulam Hussain and Ghulam Rasool were hanged by the prison authorities by the time the Supreme Court acquitted them of the crimes they were accused of. Episode 6 provides a glimpse of how the glitches seeped deep inside the criminal justice system lead to executions those who were not proven guilty beyond doubt.
Episode 7
Munir Masih recalls the very first night he spent in custody where he was tortured to confess to a triple murder of a women and her two kids, while he questions the identities he has been labeled with. Munir’s encounter with another detainee highlights the contrast of fate where the influential can get away from anything whereas the deprived can convicted for anything.
Episode 8
Munir’s existential predicament worsens when the moratorium is lifted by the government and his death warrants arrive.