According to reports from local sources, the Taliban have recently taken over a village in Sar-e-Pul province, where the inhabitants are mainly from the Hazara community. The Taliban reportedly forced these Hazara residents to leave their homes and evacuate the village. In addition to the forced evacuation, the Taliban have also imposed a fine of 36 million AFG on the residents of this village.
This move has caused widespread concern and alarm, as it marks a continuation of the Taliban’s oppressive tactics toward minority groups in Afghanistan.
Local sources informed Hasht-e Subh on Monday that the event occurred in Pusht-e Asmidan village in the Al Badr district of Sar-e-Pul province.
The Taliban recently created the Al-Badr district, which now includes the village of Pusht-e Asmidan, previously part of the Kohistan district in Sar-e-Pul.
An anonymous local source reported that the events leading up to the Hazara villagers’ forced evacuation and fine involved a Pashtun individual who approached Taliban officials in the district. The Pashtun man claimed that the village of Pusht-e Asmidan belonged to his father and alleged that Hazara residents from the village had killed one of his relatives and taken over the property.
As per the source, the Taliban court ruled that the inhabitants of Pusht-e Asmidan village must pay a sum of 36 million AFG as compensation to the Pashtun individual mentioned in the claim and vacate the village.
However, there is no clear evidence to support these accusations, and it is unclear why the Taliban officials chose to act on them without a proper investigation.
Sayed Ahmad Bolandi, a civil activist from Sar-e-Pul Province, posed a question on his Facebook page stating that “I am wondering how a Pashtun family came to own property in the rugged mountainous region where the Hazaras reside.”
The civil activist claims that the inhabitants of Pusht-e Asmidan village are feeling vulnerable and concerned following the verdict of the Taliban court, as they won’t be able to raise 36 million AFG by selling all their possessions.
A local resident in the village, in a video recording shared with Hasht-e Subh, alleges that the dominant Pashtun community used tractors to devastate the Hazara people’s farms and coerced them to leave their land.
Thus far, the Taliban authorities in Sar-e-Pul province have refrained from making any comments regarding this matter.
The Hazara minority has a long history of oppression in Afghanistan, and this incident highlights the ongoing challenges faced by minority groups in the country. The lack of evidence for any crimes or wrongdoing further underscores the arbitrary and unjust nature of the Taliban’s actions. The forced evacuation of an entire community is a severe violation of human rights and is likely to exacerbate existing tensions between different groups in Afghanistan.
In the past, the Taliban and Pashtun individuals aligned with them have used various pretexts to coerce residents of numerous villages in central and northern Afghanistan to abandon their homes and relinquish ownership of their land. This practice has resulted in displacement and distress for many families who have been forced to leave their ancestral land and livelihoods behind.
