RASC News Agency: The Tajik Watch, a human rights organization, has issued an urgent and strongly-worded warning regarding the Taliban’s systematic seizure and destruction of Tajik lands, highlighting the serious consequences that could result from such actions. In an official statement, the group condemned all acts of land grabbing, plundering, and destruction carried out by the ruling ethnic group in Tajik territories, motivated by ethnic considerations. The watchdog emphasized that these acts should be vehemently opposed and cautioned against the grave dangers they pose. The statement referenced alarming reports of Tajik land seizures and gold mine exploitation in Takhar and Parwan provinces, particularly in the Chah Ab district of Takhar, where local residents have organized protests against the looting of their land and natural resources by Taliban-affiliated companies. These residents have called for an immediate cessation of the ongoing exploitation.
Additionally, the watchdog highlighted disturbing reports from Bagram district in Parwan, where Pashtun settlers, identified as “Pashtun Naqelin” (transferred Pashtuns), have forcibly seized the lands of native Tajik inhabitants, with the Taliban’s full support. The Tajik Watch firmly declared: “Mines, water sources, arable lands, pastures, and uncultivated territories in Tajik regions especially in Chah Ab, Takhar, and Bagram, Parwan are the undeniable property of the Tajik people. Any exploitation of these lands and resources must occur under a legitimate, democratic government, with no ulterior motives of land grabbing or destruction, ensuring the consent and welfare of the local population.” The group further emphasized: “The Taliban, as an illegitimate and ethnically biased regime, has no legal or ethical right to seize, transfer, or exploit Tajik lands and resources. Their use of force to confiscate these lands is nothing but an aggressive and tyrannical action, a violation of international norms. We have repeatedly warned against such actions, and we are compelled to issue the same warning again.”
In conclusion, the Tajik Watch affirmed its full support for the protests led by the people of Chah Ab, Takhar, against the destruction of their farmlands and the plundering of their mines, calling the resistance a legitimate, courageous, and just struggle in the face of oppression. The organization has continuously warned that the Taliban’s actions against Tajik lands will bring about long-lasting and dangerous consequences for the region.
