Amidst the surge in attacks and discrimination faced by the Hazara-Shia community in Afghanistan in the past years, Tariq Ahmed, the UK Minister of State for South Asia, says that his country is closely monitoring the situation of the Hazara people and other ethnic and religious minorities in Afghanistan.
In his reply to an inquiry from David Alton, a member of the UK House of Lords, regarding Hazaras facing genocide and repatriation from Pakistan, Tariq Ahmad stated that sadly, the reports of targeted killings and forced displacement you raised are familiar.
“I publicly condemned the increasing attacks on Hazaras in Afghanistan and echoed the UN’s call for investigation and accountability for the perpetrators,” he stated, adding “We recognize and welcome the Hazara inquiry’s contribution to building awareness and understanding of the human rights abuses targeting Hazara people in Afghanistan.”
The Hazaras, an ethnic group in Afghanistan, have faced a long history of persecution and discrimination. Being primarily Shia Muslims in a predominately Sunni Muslim country, they have been subject to various forms of violence, particularly targeted attacks, and marginalization, which they say account for the crime of genocide. Additionally, they continue to face exclusion from basic services, limited access to education, and restricted opportunities for employment.
In recent years, the Hazara community in Afghanistan has been repeatedly targeted by terrorist groups such as ISIS and its affiliates in the region. This ongoing targeted attack has left a lasting impact on the Hazara population, leading to fear, displacement, and loss of lives.
Over the past two weeks alone, the western part of Kabul, specifically Dasht-e-Barchi, mainly populated by Hazaras, has witnessed two deadly attacks, causing significant loss of life and injuries. The first attack was claimed by Islamic State—Khorasan Province (IS-KP), a regional affiliate of ISIS, while the second attack remains unclaimed by any group thus far.
Following their takeover of Afghanistan, the Taliban have undertaken a rapid and drastic reversal of the political, civil, and social development achieved over the past two decades, increasing the vulnerability of Hazaras in the country. Discriminatory practices, extrajudicial killings, and forced displacement have all resumed under Taliban rule, perpetuating the ongoing suffering of the affected ethnic group.
In 2022, Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Afghanistan, called for investigations into the attacks on Hazara and Sufi communities. He said that these attacks are “becoming increasingly systematic in nature and reflect elements of an organizational policy,” and that they may therefore constitute “crimes against humanity.”
The UK Minister of State for South Asia stated that his country will continue to press the Taliban to uphold the human rights of all Afghans, including vulnerable groups such as religious and ethnic minorities. “Ministers and officials engage regularly with a range of Afghans, including Hazaras, to ensure our policy and programming reflect the diversity of needs in Afghanistan,” he said.
Regarding the forcible deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, the UK official affirmed the UK’s commitment to urging Pakistan to uphold the human rights of all Afghans in the country. The official also highlighted that his country has allocated £18.5 million to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Afghanistan, specifically to aid vulnerable undocumented returnees from Pakistan and Iran.
