Gorno-Badakhshan Separatism Concerns

A new law defining the status of the Gorno-Badakhshan autonomous region, GBAR, which covers the whole western half of Tajikistan, will expand its economic powers but could give rise to separatism, observers suggest.



On February 5, the lower house of the Tajik parliament sent a draft law defining the status of GBAR for government review.



Member of parliament, Muhibullo Sharipov, one of the architects of the draft law, says that the current legislation adopted 11 years ago to regulate GBAR’s powers is out of date. It should be brought in line with amendments to the Tajik constitution and national legislation passed since then.



The draft law proposes to grant the region the right to create its own border trade zones and ensure the development of Pamir languages.



Gorno-Badakhshan, which accounts for 45 per cent of Tajikistan’s territory, was granted autonomy in 1925, but has never been given the right to determine its own laws or economic interests.



Although officially seen as Tajiks, most of its 213,000 residents are Ismailis, followers of a branch of Shia Islam, who speak Pamir languages.



According to Amniyat Abdulnazarov, deputy head of Tajikistan’s Democratic Party, the current law on the status of the autonomous region was passed for show.



“The autonomous region currently does not have the right to solve its own development issues independently. How can we talk about autonomy, if any kind of permission is only granted in [the capital] Dushanbe?” he asked.



Hojimahmad Umarov, a Tajikistan based economist, suggests that Gorno-Badakhshan should be given more powers to solve its own trade and economic issues.



Since GBAR borders on Afghanistan, China and Pakistan, “the region should have the right to make independent trade deals with these countries and set up free economic zones in the region”, he says.



But granting this level of autonomy could potentially cause further divisions in Tajikistan, according to Saifullo Safarov, deputy director of the Centre for Strategic Studies, a group affiliated with President Emomali Rakhmonov. He expressed fears that expanding the region’s powers may strengthen separatist views.



“The constitution of the republic establishes Tajikistan as a unitary state, so there is no need to reinforce the autonomy of this region. It may lead to separatism in the future,” he said.



Safarov believes that the draft law should not contravene the framework of the constitution.



(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)