A Land Untouched by the Dirty Hand of American Policies
By Arif Hasan Khan Akhundzada, researcher, regional affairs analyst, and member of the Sangar Advisory Council
It gave me great pleasure to represent the ethnic Tajiks of Pakistan in the state festivals and functions organized by the government of Tajikistan to celebrate its 35th State Independence Anniversary – and in the “Paiwand” Conference on Global Tajik Unity, organized by the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan.
I might not know where to begin in this regard, but my visit to Tajikistan was eye opening. Tajikistan seems to be an oasis of stability, security, prosperity, calm and satisfaction in a region that has long since been rotting and decaying to the core with corruption and spiritual breakdown.
Its capital Dushanbe (“Monday” in Persian) is a vast city, an outcome reflecting the beauty of meticulous and painstaking Soviet planning methods. Although arid and dry climatically, it is spotlessly clean and exhibits not a speck of dust, let alone the waste and garbage that are unquestionably associated with the cities of its neighbouring countries to the south. In the past 35 years, the city has come to be characterized by palatial public architecture of exotic traditional Asian designs – which far from appearing offensive and smacking of grand delusions – instead inspires in the people a pride of owning their culture and its civic assets.
The citizens of Tajikistan exhibit the best aspects of their culture in that they are a very well behaved, straightforward and very sincere people – who are very proud of their culture and its majestic past, and their ethnic roots. This does not assume any offensive aspect, rather it is complementary.
Tajikistan is a very normal place, in that women are seen participating in equal proportion to the men in its clean environs and in all social and work situations. The men are invariably dressed in formal suit attire, while smart casual is also featured. Traditional clothes are not worn by men which would make them look primitive. The women do wear traditional clothes, plus a variety of proper European attires of all types.
Restaurants serve pork and alcohol without any fuss – to those who may wish to partake of them. As Dushanbe is already clean and not littered – and as the Persian proverb says “Safai Nisf Imaan Ast”, nobody need be concerned by such matters. Half of their “imaan” (faith) is already guaranteed in a very practical and true manner. What about the dogs in dirty societies like Pakistan who “pray” without ablutions, and who commit all kinds of prohibited activities without compunction while bowing up and down five times a day, just to show to others??
However, there are no signs of lewdness, licentiousness or rowdiness at all visible in Tajikistan. Their powerful culture, plus powerful government prevent that. In fact the very opposite is true about Tajiks, who display a characteristic sort of open kindness and frank straightforwardness that others may dismiss as bordering on naivete. How different this is, from the charlatanry that characterizes most of the social intercourse of current times – in which rascals stoop to anything to gain just a few copper cents!!!
The current events of the 35th Anniversary of Independence celebrations showcased the best of Tajikistan’s superior cultural ability and disposition, rooted in its Soviet legacy. I was very happy to see that they have retained a lot of Soviet trappings and characteristics – especially in the uniforms and turnout of their armed forces and the numerous other organizations that characterized communist life.
It was refreshing to see this security, organization and public and official zeal of a modern European style society combined with Persian tradition and lore – in a region which America destabilized with thirty years of its wanton and shameless greed for pipelines and resources, corruption and the foul Jihads used to orchestrate all this and poison and subvert society…
The consequences of which we now see with Afghanistan being a charred ruin and Pakistan as a terminally diseased and rotting body, a used tissue paper clotted with (American) feces, crumbling away with a putrid smell – and the terrible global conflict now welling up in the Middle East around Iran, as a cornered America makes its last stand with “all guns blazing”.
I must emphasize that in this alarming and critical situation I am glad and proud to have my roots in the Tajik ethnic legacy and be associated with its politics, will do my utmost to further it. I felt as if I had resumed living once more after being put to sleep 35 years ago when the supreme devil called America spread its dark shadow over the world.
Tajikistan is suddenly assuming the role that history had made it for. This is an extremely important development in the coming situation.
