90 Afghans in Tajikistan jails: Envoy

KABUL (Tolo News): At least 90 out of 6,500 Afghan refugees in Tajikistan have been jailed on criminal charges and drug trafficking, Afghanistan’s ambassador Zahir Aghbar said. Talking to TOLOnews this week, Aghbar said Tajikistan has grave concerns about reports of security threats on the borders between the two countries. He said there are no obstacles for Afghans to get an education.

“Fortunately, over the past few years, some of them were exchanged and handed over to the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan,” Aghbar said. “There is no restriction in way of our migrants in Tajikistan to work,” said Aghbar. Some Afghans refugees expressed their satisfaction over their living condition in Tajikistan, but they hoped that peace will be established in the country.

Siros Majidi, 18, said he eight years old when he went to Tajikistan. He said security threats forced his family to leave Afghanistan. “We came here because here we feel safe,” said Siros. Mohammad Rashid, an Afghan refugee, said he is in Tajikistan for the last four years, adding that he wants to migrate to Canada despite his love for his own country. “Some people get depressed for being far from their own country,” Rashid said.