KABUL (SW) – Abdul Lateef Pidram, head of the Congress Party, on Tuesday said certain circles within the government aim to divide ethnic groups in the country in smaller sets.
Addressing a press conference here, Pidram said circles within the government seek to further divide Tajik, Uzbek and Hazara ethnic groups to show Pashtuns as the major ethnic group. He stressed all ethnic groups must unite against this conspiracy.
The Congress Party head stressed ethnic cleansing is a crime against humanity and anyone involved in it, be it the president, would be considered as complicit.
Last week, 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 new list of additional choices.
Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council of National Reconciliation as well as Salahuddin Rabbani, head of the Jamiat-e-Islami party, criticized the new list.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Sarwar Danish, after his initial rejection of the list, later clarified via a social media post that the government would not take any action, which is not based on facts.
ENDS
