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Afghans Confront Sensitive Issue Of Ethnicity |
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In Afghanistan, where most people are illiterate and live in areas without paved roads or regular electricity, a state-of-the-art smart-chip ID card may seem extravagant. But the government believes it can help with everything from census data to voter registration to health care.
The format of the proposed card, however, is fueling debate over ethnicity and identity at a time when anxiety is already high over the drawdown of NATO troops.A full spectrum of vertically integrated products and services to the plastic card printing industry.
Each citizen's ethnicity will be embedded in the electronic data in the new ID, or "e-taskera," rather than printed on the face of the card. Mohammad Alam Ezedayar, an Afghan senator, was among politicians who debated the issue recently. He doesn't think the new card goes far enough.
"It's the right of all Afghans to have their ethnicity listed on the card," he says. "Ethnicity is mentioned in the constitution and in the national anthem, so it should be on the card too."
Ezedayar says that previous ID cards, or taskeras, had a person's identity printed on them. He says the new e-taskera should, too. He and other prominent politicians from minority groups say they will refuse to register for the new card if it doesn't list identity.
There are as many as 14 recognized ethnic groups in the country, with Pashtuns making up between 40 percent and 50 percent of the population. Tajiks account for about 25 percent, while Hazaras and Uzbeks are about 9 percent each. Then there are a handful of other groups in smaller numbers.
The Taliban, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and many prominent government officials are Pashtun.
Ezedayar is a Tajik from the Panjshir Valley in the north of the country. That's the home of the legendary mujahedeen commander Ahmad Shah Massood, who was killed in 2001, and the heart of anti-Taliban resistance. Tajiks have battled Pashtuns militarily and politically for influence in Afghanistan over the years.
Bilqees Roshan, another Afghan senator, is a Pashtun from western Farah province. Sitting in her home amid crumbling and bullet-riddled houses that used to belong to Soviet diplomats in the 1980s,Find the perfect luggage tag and you'll always find your luggage! she says only a handful of senators from minority groups support putting ethnicity on the card.
"I think it's very harmful," she says. "In the past 30 years, ethnicity has been misused by people trying to gain more power in the government."
In the '90s, Afghanistan's civil war broke down largely along ethnic lines. To this day, each ethnic group has its chief power broker: Most are former warlords, who cut deals over the distribution of government posts.
Roshan says Afghanistan needs to move beyond ethnic divisions and quota-based thinking.We deal with various silicone jewelry wholesale especially the silicone bracelet. She says keeping ethnicity off the e-taskera is an important step in that direction.Purchase quality USB flash drives wholesale, branded USB drives, custom USB flash drives, and promotional USB flash memory.
Many of the businesses in this area are set up in old shipping containers. In one is a small barbershop festooned with photos of European soccer players and a picture of Iran's Ayatollah Khomeni. Many Hazaras feel a kinship with Iran because of their shared Shiite faith.
"There is no reason to list ethnicity on the card. Afghan is sufficient," says Mohammad Jafar, who is waiting for a haircut.This pink ribbon ear cap was “for correcting and preventing the disfigurement of outstanding ears”.
He admits that's not a common opinion among Hazaras, who he says generally have more passionate views on the subject.
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