Open Letter from the Turkic People of Afghanistan to International Community, Intergovernmental, and Nongovernmental Organizations

We are writing to lodge this urgent appeal against persistent and deliberate discrimination and marginalisation of Turkic people of Afghanistan from political and public life and key international meetings, conferences, and seminars that are held to discuss the current situations and political future of Afghanistan. The Turkic people include predominantly Uzbeks, Turkmen, with Kyrghyz, and Kazakh etc. Turkic people make up a respectable portion of the population in Afghanistan with significant political and economic weight.

Turkic people have formed the backbone of Afghanistan’s economy, culture, and history from ancient times to the Ghaznavid and Timurid periods and beyond. In the past twenty years, Turkic people, Uzbeks and Turkmens, have played a major role in the democratization of the country. Yet this interwoven history and contemporary innovations in democratization is rarely acknowledged in Afghanistan’s national narrative.

Turkic people of Afghanistan played a tremendous role in toppling the Taliban regime in 2001 and fought bravely on the ground side by side with the international antiterrorist coalition against Al-Qaeda and terrorist groups. In the past twenty years, girls in Northern provinces all went to school and Uzbek women represented strongly as ministers in the various cabinets of the government. These contemporary contributions mark Uzbeks and Turkmen as targets in arbitrary arrests, torture, and killings by the Taliban. Since the Taliban took over in August 2021, Turkic people have faced systematic discrimination, punishments and gross violations of their human rights. Their lands and pastures have been forcibly grabbed by Southern settlers and Kuchis. They have been forcibly displaced from ancestral lands in north Afghanistan. This violent displacement supported both by the earlier Afghan government and the Taliban moves non-indigenous ethnic Pashtuns in traditional Turkic lands to suddenly and compulsorily change the ethnic demographics of north Afghanistan. Local communities who stand against this influx of settlers faced death threats and brutalities against themselves and their families. Such cruelties and gross human rights violations have rarely been recorded in the news or in the reports of international organizations. This must be addressed.

Twenty years of grassroots work of Turkic people to advance Afghanistan was met with neglect from the earlier government, marginalization in society, and a critical lack of representation in politics. Turkic people continue to be deprived of access to international aid and development projects. The direct discrimination against Uzbeks and Turkmen, has left most deprived of their fundamental rights and egregiously vulnerable to socioeconomic uncertainty. Despite this neglect and deliberate marginalization, Turkic people have a strong intellectual community, civil society activists, human rights and women rights activists and dedicated politicians prepared to be involved effectively in the political, social and economic process in Afghanistan.

As a consequence of persistent stagnation and inadequate representations, the situations of Uzbeks and Turkmen in Afghanistan have been intentionally overlooked by the international community. Turkic people have been blatantly ignored from key international conferences on Afghanistan held by international organizations. We are making an urgent call on the International Community, Intergovernmental and International Organizations to be inclusive of Turkic people in upcoming talks, international conferences and seminars on Afghanistan; to provide opportunities for this important part of Afghanistan’s society to speak and voice the underrepresented communities and marginalized minorities.

We, the undersigned, demand:

• The attention of the international community to the situation of Turkic people of Afghanistan.

• Monitor Human Rights violations against Turkic people in Afghanistan including targeted attacks and forced displacement.

• Effective participation of Turkic people in all political, economic, and social processes about Afghanistan.

• Full, effective, and meaningful representation in all talks, conferences, seminars on Afghanistan.

• Recognize the work of Uzbek and Turkmen scholars, political leaders, and analysts

• International aid and development organizations reach the Turkic people in the north to address the abject poverty that many are facing now

Name, position, institution

1. Abdul Basit Emami, ‏Member of the Refugee Affairs Attach’e Office of the Afghanistan Embassy in Tehran.
2. Abdul Majid Ahadi, correspondent at National TV.
3. Abdul Motalleb Qaytmas (Ph.D.), University lecturer at Kabul Polytechnic University.
4. Abdulahad Osmani (Dr.), specialist Neuropsychiatrist IPC Officer at Kunduz Regional Hospital.
5. Abdulaziz Sakhizada, correspondent at Aryana News.
6. Abdullah Faez, (Ph.D.), Lecturer.
7. Ahmad Shuja Jamal, Former Director-General of International Relations and Regional Cooperation at the Office of the National Security Council of Afghanistan
8. Aliye Yilmaz, Asst. Prof. Dr. Isparta University; Member of Leadership Committee for the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) and Former Commissioner of the İndependent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission (IARCSC).
9. Amir Mohammad Khaksar, Former Member of Parliament.
10. Amruddin Fahim, Cultural & Religious affairs expert/ administrative office of the president.
11. Andullah Rahimi (Dr.), the Founder of Turan Voice.
12. Aynoor Uzbek, women’s rights activist.
13. Babur Aydin, correspondent and head of Bek TV.
14. Babur Jamal, Former Member of Parliament.
15. Bashir Ahmad Tayanch, Former Member of Parliament and Ex. Minster of the Labour and Social Affairs.
16. Bismillah Behmanesh, Ex.Finance Specialist at Ministry of Public Works.
17. Dr. Feda Mohammad Paykan, Former Deputy of Public Health Ministry.
18. Enayatullah Babur Frahmand, First Deputy for the High Peace Council.
19. Fahim Kargar, Chief of Staff at the directory of of Parliament.
20. Faizullah Noori, correspondent and manager of Turkmeni programs at National TV.
21. Faizullah Zaki Ibrahemi, Ambassador of IRoA to the İndonesia; Former Minister of Labour and Social Affairs.
22. Faridullah Toghri, correspondent at Noor and National TV.
23. Farukhliqa Unchizada, Member of the Anti-Corruption commission.
24. Fazil Ahmad Yalghoz, correspondent at BBC Uzbek.
25. Freydun Ilham, Deputy of Administrative office of the President.
26. Frozan Khalilyar, Women’s rights activist, president of Aybegum Association and former correspondent at national TV.
27. Habibulrahman Akhondzada, social activist.
28. Halima Sadaf, Former member of parliament.
29. Hamidullah Inanch, researcher.
30. Hamidullah Khair Andish, former correspondent at Ayna TV.
31. Hasibullah Karimi, Manager of the Uzbeki language programs at National TV.
32. Hayatullah Rasikh,M&E Officer at IARCSC.
33. Hayatullah Samangani, Former Member of Parliament.
34. Hedayatullah Siddiqi (Ph.D.), Senior Academic Consultant International Organisation for Migration - Ankara, Visiting Scholar at Department of Sociology, Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University.
35. Khairuddin kherad, formar Head of Rural Rehabilitation and Development Directorate of Badakhshan Province.
36. Lutfullah Rasikh, Monitoring and Evaluation director at NWARA (national water regulatory authority).
37. Mark Slobin, Winslow-Kaplan Professor of Music Emeritus Wesleyan University.
38. Mavlavi Abdullah Qarluq, Former Member of Parliament and ex. Governor of the Takhar Province.
39. Mohammad Alim Kohkan, Author and Journalist at Ayna, National and Aryana Tv.
40. Mohammad Fahim Ataye, Employee of Da Afghanistan Bank (The Central Bank of Afghanistan).
41. Mohammad Halim Yarqin, Author, Researcher and Civil Society Activist.
42. Mohammad Rahim Ibrahim, Author, Researcher, instructor and Journalist.
43. Mohammad Shakir Kargar, Chief of Staff to President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
44. Mohammad Shoaib Masoud, Technical Advisor of Ministry of Transport.
45. Moheb Mudessir (Ph.D.) Researcher, University of Sussex, and Journalist
46. Mosafir Qoqandi, Former Commissioner of Independent Election Commission.
47. Muhammadullah Batash (Ph.D.), Former member of Parliament.
48. Muska Dastgeer, Professor, The American University of Afghanistan.
49. Najibullah Niazi, correspondent at Aryana News agency.
50. Naqibullah Faiq (Dr.), Former Governor of Faryab Province and deputy of Interior Ministry.
51. Naqibullah Obaid, Director of policy and Plan General Attorney Office.
52. Nasratullah Ahadi, correspondent at Uzbeki Department of National TV.
53. Nazifa Bek, Former Member of Parliament.
54. Nisar Ahmad Naibzada, Advisor for NSIA.
55. Noorahmad Yortdash, journalist.
56. Pashtana Dorani, Executive Director LEARN Afghanistan.
57. Qamar Roya Ishchi, poet and former correspondent at BBC and Ayna TV.
58. Qasim Wafayi Zada (Ph.D.), Former Minister of Information and Culture and former Director of the Aviation Affairs.
59. Qutbudin Ishanch, University lecturer and General Director for Amu River Bank Protection and stabilization.
60. Rahila Dostum: Former Senator, Upper house
61. Rangina Kargar, Former Member of Parliament.
62. Salima Imami Uzbek, correspondent at National TV.
63. Samiullah Noori, correspondent at Ayana news.
64. Sanjar Kargar, Former Member of Parliament.
65. Sarajuddin Rasuly (Dr. phil.), Former Lecturer at the Institute for Political Science at the University of Vienna.
66. Sardar Mohammad Rahamnoghli, Former Member of Parliament and ex. Ambassador of Afghanistan in Ukraine.
67. Sayed Anwar Sadat, Former Member of Parliament and Ex. Acting-Minister of Labour and Social Affairs.
68. Sayed Hameed Sadaat, Cofounder of Hurmat Civil and Social Organization and former Policy affairs advisor to the Office of President, IRoA.
69. Sayed Hidayatullah Mahbobi, correspondent at Parliament TV, and Ayna TV.
70. Sayed Kabir Kamall, Artist (Singer).
71. Sayed Mohammad Alim Labib (Dr.), Former Lecturer of Kabul University.
72. Shafi Bekoghli, correspondent at BBC Radio.
73. Shafiq Favzi- Deputy Military attaché in Turkey.
74. Shayma Alam Sorush, former correspondent at Aryana Tv and spokesperson of Independent Election Commission.
75. Shokor Shirzad, correspondent at Noor TV.
76. Sibghatullah Spehr, Correspondent at Tolo TV.
77. Sorayya Ibrahimi Khairandish, correspondent at National and Ayna TV.
78. Tayiba Hashimi, Board Member of Khairkha Foundation.
79. Timur Turani, Cultural Advisor at Worcestershire County Council- England.
80. Ulughbek, correspondent national TV.
81. Yasin khan, Correspondent at National TV.
82. Zabiullah Qoyash, correspondent at national TV.
83. Zarena Aslami (Ph.D.), Associante Professor, Michigan State University
84. Zibulnisa Khairi, instructor, activist and co-executive at Aybegum Association.
85. Zohra Saed (Ph.D.), Distinguished Lecturer, Macaulay Honors College, The City University of New York.
86. Zuhal Qaisary, former Secretary Board of Appointments of the Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission of Afghanistan.