On August 20, the Democratic Party of Tajikistan published an appeal to the government of the republic and international organizations. In the statement it called the Taliban's activities in Afghanistan "genocide against the non-Pashtun peoples of this country", especially residents of Tajik speaking regions. Democrats urged authorities of their country to help refugees from neighboring country in any possible way. Also they promised the Tajiks of Afghanistan on behalf of the entire nation of Tajikistan not to leave them face to face with danger and to stand side-by-side in the fight for victory over the Taliban.
The historical path of the Tajiks of Afghanistan and the Tajiks of Tajikistan is rather called unique. Over the centuries they were divided by the state borders. Due to this fact differences in their way of life and in the worldview appeared. Nevertheless, possessing with common historical roots and language, representatives of both nations managed to maintain a sense of unity. This was proved by the civil war of 1992-1997 in Tajikistan while the country had just gained independence in 1991. Tens of thousands of Tajik elders, women and children found shelter in Afghanistan. Now, amid escalating tensions in a neighboring country, there is an opinion among the inhabitants of Tajikistan that it is time for them to repay the existing debt to their brothers.
Currently the province of Panjshir, the only region of Afghanistan, which is not controlled by the Taliban movement, is home to about 150 thousand people, more than 98% of whom are ethnic Tajiks. Some media outlets state that thousands of Afghan troops concentrated there under the leadership of Vice President Amrullah Saleh who does not intend to put up with the rise of the Taliban. However Panjshir has no border with foreign states. This fact complicates the provision of fighters for freedom with all necessities which they need for conducting military operations.
Surprisingly, Amrullah Saleh has yet to establish dialogue with the officials from Dushanbe despite experiencing a number of serious problems. On multiple occasions he has asked foreign partners to supply weapons, ammunition and groceries. The collaboration with Tajikistan may lead to an desired result due to the high motivation of the citizens of the republic however Vice President has yet to request help from Tajikistan.
This can be confirmed by a great interest in activities in Panjshir province among the citizens of Tajikistan discussing the tough situation there in social media. They clearly express their sympathy for the freedom fighters and their will to join the resistance if the Tajik leadership gives permission to do so. At the same time, a declaration with a request to support the resistance in Panjshir was published by the Afghanistan national movement Basij-e Milli and is addressed to the president of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon. However, neither the leadership of Panjshir nor the authorities of Tajikistan show a clear desire for dialogue.
Meanwhile, each day of delay is costly for the Tajiks of Afghanistan. The readiness of the Panjshir people to engage in hostilities makes the Taliban nervous, while they are now trying to make the world public believe that they are benefactors of the Afghan people. However, the response of terrorists to the demonstrations of those who disagree with their authority, which took place on August 18 in the province of Nangarhar, is making their real intentions clear. Having fired at the protesters Taliban militants showed that they did not intend to put up with manifestations of disobedience. Considering the fact that the Tajiks constitute the main resistance force, the Taliban can recoup on them in the territories under their control. Probably it will lead to another surge of violence against the Tajik speaking population of Afghanistan and the continuation of genocide.
The only hope is that the leadership of the resistance movement in the Panjshir province and the Tajik authorities are be able to develop a common approach and find a solution that would preserve the lives and health of afghan Tajiks. Moreover, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, two neighboring post-soviet countries of Afghanistan, should be more active looking for abilities to help the Panjshir as they seem to be the next victims of Taliban's attack.
