The three explosions at Abdul Rahim Shahid High School in Dasht-e-Barchi, western Kabul, a densely populated Hazara ethnic enclave speak heart-wrenching volumes of apathy at international level. The international community and the torchbearers and protagonists of human rights values have completely left out Afghanistan at the mercy of the Taliban who are otherwise known for their decade long track record of ruthless and subjugating policies towards ethnic minority groups in the country.
From decades of destroying schools, killing ethnic minority groups in large numbers and violating the fundamental human rights of Afghan citizens with impunity, the Taliban have honed their sabotaging skills by creating hypothetical terrorist organisations to fool international community that Afghanistan could further plunge into chaos if they were not supported, sustainable financial aids channels restored and they are not accepted as the de facto and legitimate rulers of the country. Worrying is the fact that international community has not taken any pragmatic steps to exert pressure on the Taliban for safeguarding the lives of Afghan minorities, enshrining equal rights to women, allowing girls to enjoy higher education rights and ensuring independent, free and unbiased media. Since the fall of Afghanistan at the hands of the Taliban in mid August last year, they have been ruling the country as absolutists while completely ignoring to give fair and proportionate representation to the ethnic minority groups in government circles, judiciary and the executive.
International tenets and conventions have set out result-oriented, succinct and concise human rights principles which protect the lives of minority ethnic groups. These tenets and conventions state, in case of such violations where the killers are unknown, the state is held responsible for the lives and guaranteed protection of its citizens. However, the international community has, so far, completely ignored the gross human rights violations of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is bound to become the epicentre of terrorism in coming years aiming to target the western countries and their interests in the region should the international community flout its obligations and continue to neglect the cold-blooded persecution of minority groups in Afghanistan.
Hazara United Movement (HUM), United Kingdom 