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Afghanistan’s Gujar community: a tale of marginalization, poverty, and discrimination
Shuhab Aryaee* authored this report for Zan Times, translated to English by Rustam Seerat
Shams ul-Haq* is a Gujar living in one of the remote villages of Tagab district, Badakhshan province. With his greying hair and mostly white beard, the 54-year-old breathes heavily as he climbs up the hill to his house, stopping at least three points on the 15-minute trek. He must traverse this difficult path several times a day as there is no paved road in the area. His home is a 16-square-metre (175 square foot) room made of stone and mud, with its interior walls uneven, rough, and dirty, the floor tilted and cracked, reflecting his family’s poverty and deprivation — it’s more of a four-walled shelter than a house.
This room is used by Shams ul-Haq’s eight-member family and three domestic animals. The stench of dirt and the animals’ feces assaults the senses. Three goats and sheep are tied to iron stakes in a corner of this room. A thin, worn-out red carpet with two light cushions is visible near the entrance. The other side reveals their filthy bedding with faded green, pink, and white hues. In another corner, blackened tea kettles and old aluminum and plastic utensils catch the eye.
