KABUL (SW) – A new list of ethnic groups to select from while applying for the computerized identity cards has caused controversy.
Two days ago, the National Bureau of Statistics and Information released an upgraded list of ethnic groups. According to the National Bureau of Statistics and Information, after a person receives an electronic ID, he or she will be able to enter the name of respective ethnic group from this list.
A number of users of social networks say that in this list, the Tajik, Hazara and Uzbek tribes have been further divided into several branches, while the Pashtun tribe is not branched.
Yaqub Yasna, a poet and writer told Salam Watandar he belongs to the Nikpai group of Hazaras, but in the new list this group is identified as an independent tribe. Yasna said that the tribe has never claimed that Nikpai is an independent group, but has always referred to themselves as Hazaras.
According to Yasna, in this list many such groups of the Hazaras have been marked as independent.
Yasna said there was no mention of the Kuchis (nomads) in this list while as they continue to gain among other political, economic and cultural privileges.
Abbas Fraso, an expert on Afghanistan at Deakin University in Australia, wrote on his Facebook page that the conspiracy against the citizens has been transformed into a strategy and way of thinking under President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani.
According to users of social networks, dividing large ethnic groups into smaller groups would make the process of national building impossible.
Rashad Khan, one such user, said that diversity is beautiful, especially ethnic diversity in a civilized and advanced country. “In most of the backward countries with intervening neighbors, ethnic diversity and identity differences can escalate into civil wars,” he said.
Social media users say no peace talks in Doha, Moscow or Istanbul will succeed in ending the war in Afghanistan because the root of these wars is in the ‘sick minds’ of some citizens and politicians.
At the same time, many citizens of the country said that it does not matter whether their nationality or identity is included in the identity card or not, they only want security and jobs.
Shabbir Ahmad, one of the shopkeepers in Kabul, said that he is Tajik. “As long as there is security and employment, ethnicity is not important,” he said.
The National Bureau of Statistics and Information has published the new list of 71 ethnic groups while as there are only 14 groups mentioned in the constitution.
ENDS
