Diplomacy

Altered Afghan map tweeted by Russian Foreign Ministry sparks outrage

By Sulaiman

The Russian Foreign Ministry on March 12 tweeted a version of this incorrect map of Afghanistan that shows no shared border with China. The red arrow points out the error. [Russian Foreign Minister/Twitter]

The Russian Foreign Ministry on March 12 tweeted a version of this incorrect map of Afghanistan that shows no shared border with China. The red arrow points out the error. [Russian Foreign Minister/Twitter]

KABUL -- Afghans are expressing outrage after the Russian Foreign Ministry tweeted an incorrect map of Afghanistan that eliminated the Afghan-Chinese border.

The map, which the ministry tweeted March 12 in an announcement on upcoming peace talks in Moscow, truncates Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor, a narrow stretch of land that separates Tajikistan from Pakistan and creates the 76km-long border between Afghanistan and China.

"We have raised with the Russian Foreign Ministry the issue of sharing a wrong map of Afghanistan through the ministry's formal tweet," said Hamid Tahzib, deputy spokesman for the Afghan Foreign Ministry. "It provided an explanation through another formal tweet and has started correcting it."

Following the backlash, the Russian Foreign Ministry posted a tweet on March 13, stating, "The interactive map of the world as presented here is schematic and may not provide an accurate representation of national borders."

A map of the region clearly shows the border between Afghanistan and China. [d-maps.com]

A map of the region clearly shows the border between Afghanistan and China. [d-maps.com]

Afghan Wakhi nomad families travelling on yaks in the Wakhan Corridor in Badakhshan province of Afghanistan on October 7, 2017. The remote area shares borders with Tajikistan, Pakistan and China. [Gohar Abbas/AFP]

Afghan Wakhi nomad families travelling on yaks in the Wakhan Corridor in Badakhshan province of Afghanistan on October 7, 2017. The remote area shares borders with Tajikistan, Pakistan and China. [Gohar Abbas/AFP]

'No mistake'

Afghan political analysts and social media users, however, are rejecting Moscow's explanation, calling it a "dirty game".

"Sharing a wrong and fake map of our country by the Russian Foreign Ministry is no mistake; it did it deliberately," said Najibullah Azad, director of the Bawar Movement and a Kabul-based political analyst.

"Cutting off parts of Afghan territory and attaching them to another country show Russia's policy of aggression and occupation towards its neighbours and the region," he said.

"Russians have good experience in occupying and grabbing lands," he added. "Before this, they changed Ukraine's map and took Crimea from it."

"The Russians have been interfering directly and indirectly in the internal affairs of Afghanistan for four decades and have worked to weaken Afghanistan during this period," said Kabul-based political analyst Aminullah Shariq.

"By attacking Afghanistan, Russia could not gain dominance in our country; therefore, it wants to take parts of Afghanistan and give them to countries under its control by creating such fake maps," he said, referring to the 1979-1989 war that the Soviet Union lost.

"Creating and sharing a fake and wrong map by the Russians are no mistake; they have a malicious plan to divide Afghanistan and give its lands to other countries," Shariq added.

Russia must apologise

The Russian Foreign Ministry's explanation was insufficient, said many social media users. They demanded a formal apology from Moscow and deletion of the original map.

"This is the real schematic map of Afghanistan," tweeted Abdul Hai Qanit, a social activist, posting a map with accurate borders. "Whatever posted from your side, looks like having a secret plan behind it. It is violation of international law."

"Trusting Russia as an Afghan is a big mistake," Bassir Furogh tweeted in response to the Russian Foreign Ministry's correction. "Afghans must always keep a close and cautious eye on Russia's policies. Is it revenge or a bad mistake? Definitely to be clarified! If mistake, they must apologise. Otherwise break off the relationship."

"The strong reaction, unity and solidarity of Afghans on Twitter forced the Russian Foreign Ministry to publish the correct and actual Afghan map," said Asef Ahmadzoy, a civil society activist in Kabul.

Nonetheless, he said, the explanation should not be taken at face value.

"After their defeat in Afghanistan [in 1989], the Russians have been seeking revenge," he said. "They have been waging cold and hot wars in our country for the last 40 years, killing, wounding and disabling millions of Afghans."

Shamroz Khan Masjidi, a former spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Finance, shared similar concerns.

"When did Pakistan find a border with Tajikistan? Russia must stop this dirty play. @mfa_afghanistan must officially protest to this map. Russia must apologize and remove this map before the #Moscow meeting," he tweeted.

Moscow is 'never neutral'

Daud Miraki, a US-based analyst of Afghan affairs, questioned Moscow's sincerity in holding peace talks scheduled for Thursday (March 18).

"Peace at the cost of losing pieces of our country? No thanks!!!" he tweeted.

"What does #Russia want from #Afghanistan?" Muhammad Kabir Haqmal, a former National Security Council spokesman, wrote under the Russian Foreign Ministry's tweet of the wrong map. "Destruction & situation of the 80s & killing of millions of #Afghans R not enough? I reject any peace initiative of Russia. They can never be impartial & will never forget their defeat in our country."

"As an active and important member of the international community, Russia must obey international laws and respect the borders, laws and territorial integrity of other countries," said Maqsood Hasanzada, a Kabul-based political analyst.

"Sharing an incorrect map of Afghanistan by the Russian Foreign Ministry firstly shows [the] unprofessionalism of the Russian diplomatic apparatus and secondly shows lack of respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country."

Russia's publication of the map was no mistake, said Hamidullah Murad, who is pursuing a master's degree in public administration at a private university in Kabul.

"It is its plan to cut off parts of Afghan soil and give them to other countries to create tension and legal disputes along the northern borders of Afghanistan and mire Afghanistan and its people in border disputes for years, such as in the case of the Durand Line."

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Our political analysts should give a hard answer to Russia and Afghans should not trust Russians. As you have said, our leaders should no more take part in Moscow's gatherings. Russia pushes us toward insecurity, not toward the prosperity; therefore, our high-ranking leaders should not trust their meetings with Taliban in Russia.

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Russia facilitates violence in Afghanistan and does not want Afghans to have a comfortable life.

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Afghans are fed up with wars anymore and want an everlasting peace and happiness in the country.

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Russia is a historical enemy country of Afghanistan. Evidences are well known from the time of the first and second Anglo-Afghan wars, occupation of Afghan lands, direct invasion on Afghanistan, and intervention in the Afghan affairs. They have received a historical defeat from Afghanistan, and they were ashamed in the world for the defeat by Afghans, and when so, how can they sit quiet? Now the Afghan government should not keep quiet and show a hard reaction to this big rudeness, and they should ask Russians for remuneration of the war, and the 1.5 million martyrs.

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I absolutely agree with you that Russia is still a very dangerous country for Afghanistan. Russia already enslaved the leaders of the Northern Alliance, who fought against Russia for years, but now they are trying to make Taliban under its influence as well. The United States of America should not waste this golden opportunity of peace that is provided for Afghanistan and convince Ashraf Ghani to make peace with Taliban, otherwise Northern Alliance has already been in contact with Russia and Taliban will also be out of the United States’ control and will be supported by Russia, and will overthrow the system that America has established in Afghanistan for billions of dollars. Therefore, it is better for America to use its wisdom and not let the opportunity of peace be wasted and the war in Afghanistan continue. America must make a lot of efforts that peace comes in Afghanistan this year. If peace does not come this year, Russia will continue its interference in Afghanistan.

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You may divide Afghanistan among several neighboring countries. Our people were not able to build this country and ensure a lasting peace in it. The people of Afghanistan claim that they have 5,000 years long history, but a country like Pakistan, which has been established about seventy years before, determines the policy for this country. The reason that our soil is grabbed by neighboring countries and the war is continuing in our country is because of our own people. They were and are the Afghans who continue the war in this country. They were Afghans who brought foreign troops into the country. They were and are the same Afghans who spy for foreign countries and kill their own people in order to reach to power. They are the Afghans who bring the version of their government from abroad and apply them here. One group copies the western system of democracy from America and wants to implement it in Afghanistan, and the other group wants to implement the Emirate system of Arab countries in Afghanistan and some other groups want a presidential or parliamentary system. All these systems are rejected. All these groups have to come together and establish a system, which is suitable for this land and people, from all these versions of systems in Afghanistan. No system created by foreign countries gives result in this country. There must be a system that is one hundred percent compatible with the Qur'an and Sunnah. The central power or absolute power should be at the hand of president

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There is a Pashto language's proverb which says, 'the river is not made dirty if a dog drinks from it'. In the recent years, I thought that Russians are not bad people and Afghans should get closer to them and get advantage of their knowledge and technology. Its common people may not be bad people; however, Russian authorities still continue their enmity against Afghanistan. It would have been wise for Russians to leave the policies of the Soviet Union's era, but unfortunately Russians still promote the Soviet Union's expansionist policies. Russia, America, China and India should quit their policy of killing the humans in Afghanistan and head to the policy of making the manpower and construction of Afghanistan, because like other human of the world, we also have the right to live. The projects of Al-Qaida, Taliban, ISIS and other extremist groups are made by the super powers and then it is brought to our country with canons and tanks and then giving training to our enemies, should come to an end. Befriend with Afghans, don't do enmity against them.

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