Abdur Rahman Khan - Persecution and Genocide of Hazara People

Persecution and Genocide of Hazara People

Persecution of Hazara people refers to systematic discrimination, ethnic cleansing and genocide of Hazara people, who are primarily from the central highland region of Hazarajat in Afghanistan. The persecution of Hazara people dates back to the late 19th century during the notorious reign of Emir Abdur Rahman (1880-1901), who killed, expelled and enslaved many thousands. It is believed that at least half of the population of Hazarajat were killed by Abdur Rahman's forces, which also resulted in mass exodus of these people to neighbouring Balochistan of British India and Khorasan in Eastern Iran. The persecution continued throughout the 20th century in various forms. Many Hazara were coerced into hiding their identities and surrendering their lands to Pashtun tribes. Hazara people have also been the victims of massacres by Taliban in Afghanistan since 1995.