On 8 August 1998, Taliban fighters started creating chaos as soon as they entered Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan. Wherever he got shot, thousands of people of the Hazara community were selectively killed for several days. The Taliban did not even allow the dead bodies to be buried. Then Mullah Mannan Niazi, the Taliban governor of Balkh, said in a speech, 'Uzbeks go to Uzbekistan, Tajiks go to Tajikistan and Hazaras either become Muslims or go to cemeteries.'
Now after 23 years, Taliban rule has returned to Afghanistan once again. Thousands of people are in a panic about this. In many places, their daughters are being forcibly married by Taliban fighters. There have been reports like this. However, it has not been confirmed yet. While there is also news of a murder in some areas.
The Hazaras are a group of Shia Muslims who have been persecuted for decades. These Shia Muslims, about 10% of the Afghan population, are among the most persecuted minorities in the world. He has also been a target because of his religious beliefs. Radical Sunnis do not consider him to be a Muslim.
Panic spread by beheading the idol of Hazara leader
Just as the Taliban in Kabul were promising "peace and security" to the global media, news of the demolition of Hazara leader Abdul Ali Mazari's statue came from Bamiyan. Mazari was assassinated by the Taliban in 1995. It was in this Bamiyan that the Taliban blew up the famous Buddha statues 20 years ago.
Dr. Salim Javed is a doctor by profession and a human rights activist. He lives in Sweden and has been writing on Hazara issues for a long time. Talking to Bhaskar, he confirmed the destruction of Mazari's idol. Dr. Javed says, 'The head of the idol of Mazari was cut off and placed on the ground to create a scene of beheading. Hazara people have also protested this, but the Taliban have told them that this is the work of some chaotic element.
Salim Javed says, 'It is the month of Muharram which is very sacred for Shia people. They mourn the death of Imam Hussain by putting up black flags. I have also confirmed that in some areas the Taliban have taken down the black flag of Imam Hussein and raised their white flag. There are also reports of crushing the Shia flag at many places.
Taliban killed Hazara people
Human rights activists claim that the Taliban have massacred people in Hazara-dominated districts, causing the Hazara population to panic. Dr. Javed says, 'There is fear and panic among the Hazaras I am in contact with. Ever since the Taliban began to take control of Hazara-dominated districts, they are terrified. Especially when the Taliban came to Ghazni's Malistan, earlier they had said that we will not disturb anyone, everything will be good, but as soon as the Taliban captured that district, that they went door-to-door to see the identity cards of the people.
The Taliban identified the people and said at first that if anyone is in the Afghan army, they will be spared, but we are getting reports that later the Taliban killed these people. Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission and Human Rights Watch have also reported about Malistan and confirmed the Taliban killing civilians.
Hazara does not trust the Taliban
Akram Gizabi is the chairman of the World Hazara Council. He has been involved in the violent struggle against Soviet rule in the 1980s and was the commander of Hazara militias. He immigrated to America in 1985. Returning to Afghanistan, he formed a political party, which was banned.
The Taliban rule in Afghanistan has scared them. Akram Gijabi says, 'I am not very optimistic about Taliban rule in Afghanistan. They will take the country back centuries. They are an ancient idea and want to establish the same rule again. The freedom that was there in Afghanistan, the rights that women had, they will not live under the rule of the Taliban.
The Taliban has tried to present a liberal face this time. He took part in the religious program of the Shia community in Kabul and also released its pictures. The Taliban have said they will defend the rights of all religious minorities in Afghanistan, but Akram does not trust them.
Embracing Shia people is a political stunt
Akram Gizabi considers the Taliban's involvement in a Shia event in Kabul a political stunt. Akram says, 'This is a fraud because the Taliban do not consider Hazara to be a Muslim. They consider us infidels. His attitude towards us has not changed, nor has his heart changed. This is just a political stunt to show the world. They want to take advantage of the situation. The Hazaras know that the Taliban do not accept them. I think they will not allow Shia people to follow their religion in the future.
Dr. Javed further says, 'They targeted people who had a relative with the Afghan army or the international army. We have reports from Spin Boldak. There the Taliban announced from the mosques that nothing would happen to anyone. He asked people for identity cards saying that nothing would happen to anyone but later killed the people. There are similar reports from Kandahar. What the Hazaras fear the most is that the Taliban do well in front of the international media, but they fear that as soon as the international media leaves, the same thing will happen in 1998.
Taliban fighters are getting raped and forcibly married
After the arrival of the Taliban, the biggest threat is to the safety and rights of women. There are also reports from Takhar and Badakhshan provinces of Afghanistan that Taliban soldiers are forcibly getting girls married to their fighters.
Dr. Javed says, 'We could not confirm the reports of girls being forced to marry, but a Taliban commander in a remote area of northern Afghanistan asked the elders to give a list of widows and girls of marriageable age. entrusted, their marriage will be done with the Mujahids. This has been confirmed by human rights activists.
Dr. Javed says, 'I have a confirmed report that people from Hazara-dominated areas had sent their young girls to Kabul only on hearing the arrival of the Taliban, but now they are afraid that how long they will stay in Kabul and there How long are you safe too.'
On this issue, Dr. Gizabi says, 'The Taliban in Takhar province has asked every family to give a girl to the Taliban to marry. Even though they are not doing this in Kabul right now, but they are doing it in other parts of the country. The Taliban will either marry these girls or hand them over to their fellow terrorists as gifts. In the past also they have snatched the girls and divided them among themselves.
He says, “This is a very sensitive issue. Even if the Taliban did rape, it would be very difficult to confirm because the victims do not open their mouths about it. It is considered extremely shameful in the society of Afghanistan. Taliban fighters know that even if they rape or gang-rape, the victims will never open their mouths, but I believe that they may be doing the same as the Taliban raped in 1998.
Hazara is destitute
About 4 million Hazaras live in Afghanistan. They constitute ten percent of the country's population, but their representation in power is negligible. There is no Hazara in the Taliban at all. The Hazara people look different from the Afghan race and seem more Asian. The mid-hill region of Afghanistan in which these people live is called Hazaristan. The major provinces in this are Bamiyan, Deykundi, Gor, Ghazni, Uruzgan, Parwan, Maidan Wardak. Apart from this, they also have a decent population in Badakhshan province.
Hazara has been under terrorist attacks for a long time. In Afghanistan, the Islamic State in Khorestan Province has carried out thirty major attacks on Hazara in the last few years. Their schools, mosques, markets have been targeted.
Akram Gijabi says, “Hazara’s condition is very bad at this time. Their leaders are outside the country. Those who are within the country have not done much for the Hazara people. Those who were also involved in the Hazara government are also just in name. I have come to know that Hazara fighters are hiding in the mountains. The Hazaras are completely destitute at this time.
Apart from Hazara, the situation of Uzbek and Tajik people is also not very good in Afghanistan. Tajik-origin leader Amrullah Saleh has declared himself caretaker president after revolting against the Taliban, but Hazara has not yet raised voices of protest. Gizabi says, 'We are looking to see if there can be some resistance against the Taliban or not, but the situation is very delicate right now. We are just monitoring the situation. Hazara fighters have returned to the mountains.
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