The head of Tajik Milli Ittihad Pakistan (Union of Tajiks in Pakistan) spoke about the 50 years of ups and downs, efforts, and struggles of the Tajiks in this country.
QUETTA, January 22 – “Sangar”, Mir Atta Darvazi. The Tajiks of Pakistan created their organization in 1974, but they transformed into a full-fledged and united union only three years ago.
Munir Ahmad Khan Tajik, the head of Tajik Milli Ittihad Pakistan (TIP), told a “Sangar” correspondent in a telephone conversation that his father Malik Muhammad Kabir was very interested in creating the organization of the Union of Tajiks of Pakistan because as a Tajik he considered his people to be the bearer of a great civilization and culture, which the Tajiks of Pakistan should not forget.
“He could not achieve his goal, but after he died in 1974, my brother Sardar Khair Mohammad Tajik (pictured above on the left) founded an organization called Tajik Qawmi Ittihad Pakistan (Union of Tajik People of Pakistan), which was limited to the Tajiks of Quetta and Balochistan in general. The objective was to prevent Tajiks from assimilating into the larger ethnic groups of Pakistani society and to make it clear that Tajiks are an ethnic group with their history, culture, language, and customs,” said Munir Ahmad Khan Tajik.
According to him, Balochistan, along with other ethnic groups including Baloch, Afghans, and Hazaras, has a large number of Tajiks, most of whom are Indigenous, and another section came from Bukhara and Iran at different times, especially after the famous events, from Afghanistan too.
“We have become a large community. As our father had bequeathed, we worked to solve the problems of people, especially Tajiks who came from Afghanistan, including helping them find housing and jobs. Now some Tajiks in Quetta own large enterprises, factories, and institutions. One of us is Hadiya Tajik, a former Minister of Culture of Norway,” said the head of Tajik Milli Ittihad Pakistan.
The Tajik community in Pakistan has found a new lease of life with the advent of the Internet and, as a result, social networks, which have reduced distances and normalized contact between people.
According to Munir Ahmad Khan Tajik, before this, they were completely unaware that a large number of Tajiks also live in the province of Khaibar Pakhtunkhwa, especially in the Swat Valley, Dir, Malakand, Charsadda, Mansehra, and other provinces.
“For example, the Tajiks of Dir in the Swat Valley have lived in this region since ancient pre-Islamic times to the Ghurids, that is, we are the indigenous people of Pakistan. Even a man named Sardar Hakim Khan Tajik founded a Tajik organization here in 1974 - Tajik Qawmi Movement (Tajik National Movement), whose son Javed Akhtar is now continuing his path," said the head of Tajik Milli Ittihad Pakistan.
He added that in 2006, he renamed Tajik Qawmi Ittihad to Tajik Milli Ittihad (National Union of Tajiks), and apart from this organization, Tajiks had two more organizations - Tajik Qawmi Movement in Dir and Swati Qawm Tanzeem Pakistan (Swati People's Movement of Pakistan) in Swat.
"We contacted all of them and united in 2021. When the news spread through the media, people from other parts of Pakistan, like Chitral, which is far away, came to us and said that we are also Tajiks, we also exist,” said Munir Ahmad Khan Tajik.
The head of the National Union of Tajiks of Pakistan said that the purpose of forming a single union is not to engage in politics, but to solve problems, educate the youth, and promote self-awareness among Tajiks of Pakistan in serving Pakistan.
“The vast majority of them do not know Persian. Why? They have been here for hundreds of years and have assimilated into the local communities, either with the Baloch or the Afghans. But in all these years, they have not forgotten that they are Tajiks. Just look at their Facebook handles. The vast majority of them have chosen the word ‘Tajik’ as their nickname,” said Munir Ahmad Khan Tajik.
He added that the Tajiks of Pakistan were very happy when they learned about our initiatives and cooperated with us.
"Until now, for example, in Quetta, they received education in Urdu and English. Now everyone wants to learn Persian as well. We have very talented people, and I believe they will quickly learn the language and get acquainted with their culture, science, and literature," said the head of the National Union of Tajiks of Pakistan.
He criticized the policy that deprives girls of education and said that special attention will be paid to the education and training of girls and women of the Tajik community.
"From the age of 5-6, they are attracted to centers where they receive education and vocational training. Thank God, our girls are talented, attentive, and inquisitive. We want them to become doctors, engineers, and teachers. The mother is the bearer of the native language, ethics, and art," said Munir Ahmad Khan Tajik.
The Chairman of Tajik Milli Ittihad Pakistan has announced the construction of a major center in the Swat Valley that will house both educational centers and the organization's local headquarters.
“We have also purchased land in Islamabad, the capital of our country, and want to open a large office of our organization there. The Tajiks of Pakistan cherish their homeland and the more they learn about their culture and civilization, the more they understand the role that Tajiks have played in the history of Pakistan. We have been, are, and will be in Pakistan,” he said.
Munir Ahmadkhan Tajik was born in 1956 in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, Pakistan. He completed his high school education in his hometown and received a higher education in business and economics from Florida International University in the United States. Now he is the owner of Malik Kabir Estate, a real estate company.
