Panjshir governor warns against rising ethnic tensions in province
Panjshir Governor Hafiz Mohammad Agha Hakim has warned against stoking ethnic prejudices and attempts to sow division in the province, calling on residents not to allow social unity to be harmed.
He made the remarks at a public gathering attended by religious scholars, tribal elders and hundreds of Panjshir residents. According to him, those who seek to weaken the unity of the people by highlighting ethnic differences have acted in the past and present in line with outside interests.
The Panjshir governor urged people to remain vigilant against what he called “corrupt opportunists.” He said that over the past four decades, people in Afghanistan have been exploited under the names of ethnicity, factionalism and political parties, and should not again become tools in the hands of those he said work for foreign interests.
Hakim also claimed that the Taliban administration makes no distinction among people on the basis of ethnicity or language, and that its main goal is to preserve the Islamic system and implement Islamic Sharia. He also said the administration has made the development of Panjshir a priority in the areas of health, education, infrastructure, trade and economic self-sufficiency.
At the same time, several Panjshir residents at the gathering said the ethnic and divisive voices raised by some individuals do not reflect the views of the people of the province. They claimed that some senior officials of the former regime are now seeking to return to power and create a crisis by using ethnic issues and social media campaigns.
Participants at the gathering stressed the importance of preserving unity, solidarity and stability in the country, and called for preventing the stoking of ethnic and linguistic differences. Panjshir is located in northeastern Afghanistan and has in recent years been considered one of the country’s politically and security-sensitive provinces.
