Afghanistan
Published on
Reading Time
10 mins
Intro
How come we have 20 million Tajiks in Afghanistan? How? This was the first question I asked myself when I heard that we have more Tajiks abroad than inside Tajikistan itself. Do you realize the potential behind this number? Human capital? Oh, man, that’s something else. Let’s start with the basics and get to the specifics.
Tajiks
Look at the modern geopolitical map. You’ll see three countries: Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. All three share the same language, but are divided by borders, political systems, and alphabets. Tajiks use the Cyrillic alphabet and have a secular system of government where religion is separate from government affairs. And that’s good.
Surprise
Afghanistan has a larger Tajik population than Tajikistan itself due to deep historical, geographic, and demographic factors. The population figure of roughly 12 to 15 million Tajiks in Afghanistan, with some estimates pushing toward 18 to 20 million depending on definitions of the total population and Persian-speaking identity, often surprises people, given that Tajikistan itself has roughly 10 million people in total.
Indigenous Homeland
Tajiks did not migrate to Afghanistan from modern-day Tajikistan. The historical regions of Greater Khorasan and Transoxiana encompassed northern and western Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and parts of Uzbekistan. Tajiks are ancient, indigenous Persian-speaking inhabitants of regions such as Kabul, Herat, Panjshir, Badakhshan, and Balkh.
The Great Game
In the 19th century, the British and Russian empires drew international borders for geopolitical buffer zones, such as the Durand Line and the Panj River line. These modern borders arbitrarily bisected continuous ethnic Tajik lands, placing a massive portion of the Tajik demographic inside Afghanistan.
Demographics
Afghanistan’s total population, roughly 43 to 45 million, is over four times larger than Tajikistan’s, at roughly 11 million. Since Tajiks make up approximately 27% to 38% of Afghanistan’s overall population, their sheer numbers in Afghanistan surpass the entire population of Tajikistan.
In Afghanistan, ethnic classification is closely linked to language. Urban, Persian-speaking, Dari-speaking communities across cities like Kabul, Herat, and Mazar-i-Sharif are broadly categorized as Tajik or Farsiwan, expanding the demographic umbrella.
Afghanistan has maintained higher birth rates over recent decades compared to post-Soviet Central Asia, compounding total population growth over generations.
Ambitions
Now, taking into account everything you read above, what do you think Tajikistan would want from these facts if we were powerful enough? When I say powerful enough, I mean economically and politically powerful enough to influence the region.
The first and most rational thing to happen is to make sure Tajiks in Afghanistan have representatives inside the government of Afghanistan, regardless of what type of government it is. That’s important. You cannot have roughly 20 million Tajiks inside your country and still think they don’t need any representation in the government or parliament of Afghanistan.
Each country has its stages of development. One of them, technically speaking, is the ability to protect the interests of its citizens, both abroad and at home, as well as its ethnic relatives, in case of genocide. Do you know what I mean?
I see the future of Tajikistan-Afghanistan relations clearly: the military of Tajikistan will become so advanced and capable that Tajikistan will be able to issue a formal warning, backed by documents and regulations at the UN, regarding the potential genocide of Tajiks in Afghanistan.
Why? If Afghanistan manages to eliminate Tajiks inside their own country, WE would be next. It’s important to always be advanced when it comes to military strength and protection.
Conclusion
The world is a complicated place. When a nation becomes a country, it develops an identity that extends beyond itself and into future generations. You gotta protect both inside and outside. May the Lord bless Tajiks and Tajikistan.
See you in the next article on my website. Bye.
