![In this photograph taken on December 2, 2020, in Sheberghan, capital of Jawzjan province, members of the Jogi community play local musical instruments. [Atiqullah Ibrahimzada]](/cnmi_st/images/2022/07/19/36279-b-739_416.webp)
KUNDUZ -- Members of the Jogi community living in Jawzjan province say they do not have access to basic services and rights, a plight that goes back decades.
The Jogi are an ethnic minority whose roots are traced to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Because of their semi-nomadic way of life, many have been unable to obtain national identity cards (tazkiras) and are essentially stateless. They are left with no access to jobs, education or health care.
Some 150 Jogi families live on the outskirts of Sheberghan city, the provincial capital of Jawzjan, local officials say.
Jogis have been deprived of social services for years and many of their children are illiterate because they do not have access to schools, said Qutbuddin, 55, a Jogi tribal elder in Sheberghan city.
"We are deprived of all services. Our kids can't go to school, our sick can't receive health care in clinics, and we do not have access to electricity or potable water," he said.
The Jogi have been living in Afghanistan for at least 100 years, but their status as citizens is still not clear, he noted.
"We have no land, houses or access to services," he added.
"We demand to be given land, school access for our kids and participation in the country's political, economic, cultural and social matters for our elders, just like other ethnic groups."
Najibullah, 43, a Jogi in Jawzjan province, told Salaam Times that Kabul has not yet paid any attention to giving the Jogis citizenship.
"We are also human beings, and we should be given equal rights," he said. "The government won't give us Afghan identity cards unless we have property. Without identity cards, neither the government nor aid agencies will assist us."
"Our youth should be employed," he added.
"If our children grow up illiterate, it will harm our people and society. We should have all the facilities other ethnic groups have."
Social problems
With Afghanistan facing an unprecedented economic crisis, the Jogis are especially vulnerable.
Lacking identification cards has made finding jobs difficult for the majority of the Jogis, and many living in Jawzjan have taken up panhandling, said Mursaleen Nazari, a Jawzjan resident.
"Afghanistan is the shared home of all Afghans," he said. "All ethnic groups including Tajik, Pashtun, Hazara, Uzbek, Pashai, Nuristani … have equal rights, and all of them should get the same attention."
"Jogis are a deprived section of society," he said. "Their elders and children live a very difficult life."
"Jogis constantly move around and do not live in a fixed location. Therefore, they have not received sufficient social services or ID cards," Faraidoon Noori, a spokesman for the Jawzjan governor, told Salaam Times.
"Based on our information, Jogis are left out of even basic services such as education and health," he said. "We are assessing their problems and call on aid agencies to address the basic needs of this ethnic minority."
Local authorities have asked those Jogis who already have residential property in other areas to return to their neighbourhoods. They have said the government will provide residences to those who have nowhere to live, according to Noori.
The Jogi often also experience discrimination.
Surrounding communities do not even allow them to bury their deceased in their cemeteries.
As a result, they bury their dead discreetly at night, said Rahmatullah, 47, a Jogi in Jawzjan.
"We have neither land to live on nor a cemetery to bury our dead in," he said.
May God have mercy on Afghans. Whether he is a Hindu, a ]Sikh, a Sunni, a Shia, or a follower of any other tribe or religion, he is bothered by the Taliban. It has put people in dire straits. He has made the people suffer. Before he came to power, he addressed himself as an angel in television and radio debates, saying we would do this for the country and the people. Still, now that the power is in their hands, they have not done anything but destroy or take away the existing possibilities of the people either.
Reply7 Comment
Well, whose situation is good in this country? Apart from the Taliban and the hypocrites, who else is happy in the country? Why does the Salaam Times, mention a certain ethnic group while the absolute majority of the people of the country are burning into the fire and are in the prison of the savage Taliban? The Taliban banned millions of Afghan children from going to school. Millions of Afghans are living in famine and would die of hunger without the assistance of international organizations. Thousands of other Afghans live in an ambiguous and unknown situation in the neighboring countries, especially Iran and Pakistan, where they face various kinds of torture. There is a massive health disaster going on at the time. Thousands of Afghans across the country are suffering from cholera. Public hospitals cannot provide proper health services to anyone, and their little activity is also due to the blessing of international institutions. People are unemployed. The prices are increasing day by day. Afghani has lost its value against valid foreign currencies, especially against the US dollar, and the country is about to fall into the pit of disaster and darkness. In this situation, you may say who has a better life than that of Jogis? The voice of all the people should be raised, not only a small ethnic group. Thanks
Reply7 Comment
Nobody is happy in Afghanistan. Our homeland is in the hands of Pakistan. Taliban obey whatever the Punjabis (Pakistanis) tell them. They wait and listen only to Punjabi’s order. Most of the people in the country are suffering from mental diseases. They are sad and tired.
Reply7 Comment
Nobody is happy. The homeland is in the hands of Punjab. Whatever Punjabi says to Mullah, he accepts it. Mullah knows neither good nor bad what Afghans like and what they dislike. They are just listening to Punjabis. Most people in the country suffer from mental illnesses; they are tired and desperate...
Reply7 Comment
Not only Jogis but all Afghans are facing the same situation. Afghanistan has turned into a prison. One idea is that, whatever Pakistan wants, they do it, and they do it with the hands of the Taliban. Pakistan is doing all this at the behest of Britain. Britons support this situation because they want to avenge their three historical defeats in Afghanistan. The Taliban should smarten up. First, they should convene a Loya Jirga and gather all the groups, including the minorities. Even if a Taliban leader leads the system, they should give everyone a share. Then talk to the world community. The first word of the Holy Word of God (Qur'an) is Iqra (Read), while even after 1400 years, these idiots do not allow girls to go to school. We have to compete with the world. If not, the Jogis and all Afghans will be in a bad situation.
Reply7 Comment
May God himself help our Jogi compatriots. The issue that the Jogis are facing discrimination since half a century ago is personally questionable to me. Before the innovation and intervention of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, there was no sign of discrimination and prejudice against any ethnic and racial group. Afghanistan was a symbol of peaceful coexistence and all ethnic and racial groups were enjoying equal rights. Alongside Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Jews, and even Christians could live freely in Afghanistan and perform their religious ceremonies and duties. The governments of Afghanistan treated all classes and ethnic groups equally and provided services to everyone regardless of religion, ethnicity, partiality, and race. The Afghan society also viewed all people equally and there was no ethnic or religious antagonism among them. With the April coup d'état and the brutal invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviets, the face of the Afghan society changed and bigotry and antagonism spread everywhere.
Reply7 Comment
I would like to explain the situation of Jogis in the country by recalling some issues: The Magats are a small ethnic group that is mostly called “Jogi” by others that the Jogis often consider a term of humiliation. They have been living in Afghanistan for more than a century. They had no nationality until recent days, but now they have started fighting for their legal recognition and proving their identity. One of their first achievements i.e. the registration of the people of this group as voters in the last elections was embodied with political calculations and an instrumental approach to their citizenship rights, but it could give way to the distribution of national identity cards to the adults of this group. This group still faces obvious discrimination both legally and socially. Jogis live on the verges of cities and many of them don’t have shelters. In recent years, some of the Jogi families have built houses on the public lands and spend days and nights at those houses without any future guarantee. The Jogis do not enjoy any privileges, including humanitarian aid since they are being ignored by the Afghan Government and are also marginalized by the people, most of the internal and foreign aid organizations rarely visit the Jogis neighborhood.
Reply7 Comment