Baghlan enmity that cost 120 lives remains unresolved

PUL-KHUMRI (Pajhwok): A 35-year-old enmity between two families that has so far claimed 120 lives remains unresolved in Deh Salah district of Baghlan province.

The enmity began 35 years ago between two families in the village of Gadali in Qasan Valley and now, weary of the conflict, both sides are calling for peace and a Jirga to intervene.

First a dispute broke out over the marriage of a girl, in which one person was killed.

Since then, 120 people have been killed as the enmity remained unresolved.

Local tribal elders called the enmity the longest and bloodiest in the province.

Arbab Bismillah Khan, a resident of the district, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the enmity was between the families of Arbab Ghiyas and Mulla and it arose over the marriage of a girl.

“The girl from Arbab Ghiyas family wanted to marry another boy, but Mulla’s family wanted her to marry a young man from his family. This led to a dispute between them. The man from Mulla’s family who wanted to marry the girl was killed, and the enmity began. The next day, 17 people from both sides were killed in revenge.”

According to him, the enmity between Arbab Ghiyas and Mulla families has been ongoing since last 35 years and so far 120 people from both sides have been killed.

According to him, the enmity has devastated both families as their young men have been killed, their newlyweds are hiding and their children are living in poverty.

He said after the Islamic Emirate’s return to power, it banned carrying weapons, and therefore no new incidents between these families had taken place, but before that, they used to attack each other every day.

What residents say about the enmity

Bashir Khan, a resident of Gadali village, said that the long-standing enmity had weakened after many young men from both sides lost their lives, but it had not ended.

“The original story is that a boy from Gadali village was walking on the river bank when rays from glass of his waistcoat hit the girl’s eyes. The girl said it was intentional and informed her family members. They became suspicious of the boy. Eventually, a dispute arose between the two families, and the boy wearing the waistcoat was killed. Later, other people were killed in retaliation. This situation continues.”

According to him, the enmity has now been passed down to grandchildren and once 29 people were killed on both sides in a single day.

After this, they attacked each other again, killing 17 people and even the girl who started the enmity was also killed.

Similarly, another resident, Arbab Mirza Rahim, said that the bitter stories of this long-standing enmity still remain in their minds, but no one has been able to make peace between them yet.

He added: “I was a small child when Arbab Ghiyas refused to give in marriage his sister-in-law to Mulla’s nephew. This enmity started and many people died between them.

Although local elders tried to reconcile them, their decisions were ineffective. Then there were clashes between them and about 120 people from both families have been killed in the past three decades.

The resident said there were now several young people in both families, some had left the country and others might be in the country now.

“The possibilities of reconciliation between them have also increased now”.

According to him, several reconciliation attempts during the previous governments had failed because neither side respected the decisions of jirgas and attacked each other.

Meanwhile, a member of Mulla’s family, who did not want to be named, said their grandparents gifted them with such animosity before their births that had deprived them of the joy of life.

He added: “Our grandparents left us with such a bloody enmity over the marriage of a girl that I have no interest in discussing or talking about it. What has happened has not been good. We, the younger generation, have no desire to continue it….”

Although he did not want to talk further about it, he said briefly: “Every member of our family was a great figure in society, but we lost them. Why should it be continued? Personally, as an educated young man, I do not want it to continue. I think the other side will also believe that nothing should happen between us anymore.”

Pajhwok tried to have the opinion of Arbab Ghiyas’ family members, but despite repeated attempts, it failed to establish a contact with them.

Why does such hostility occur?

Shahzaman Zamani, a professor at a private university in Baghlan and an expert on legal issues, said that conflicts between families arise due to illiteracy, poverty, ignorance, hatred and bad local customs.

He added that there were two ways to resolve such conflicts, one is legal and the other is a moral obligation.

He said that the government has a legal obligation to address such conflicts and find solutions within the framework of law and Sharia.

He said tribal elders and religious scholars should first pave the way for negotiations between the hostile families and then resolve problems that have arisen between them.

However, the Islamic Emirate has paved the way for resolution of such hostilities and has resolved thousands of disputes in the past three years through the mediation of tribal elders and religious scholars.

Mullah Alam Majidi, spokesman for the governor of Baghlan, said that the committee appointed to resolve three long-standing hostilities in Qasan will begin its work in near future.

He added: “A number of old hostilities have been resolved in Baghlan. A joint committee of tribal elders and religious scholars has also been formed to resolve the old hostilities in Deh Salah district. The governor himself, the deputy governor, and other officials have also started mediation efforts for reconciliation.”

Majidi said a big meeting will be held between the two families in Andarab in the next few days to resolve the issue so that there will be no more problems between them.

Majidi said that in the near future, both families will be ready for reconciliation and a decision will be made between them so that neither side will try to attack the other again.

ma