On August 29, 2000 for the first time MM communicated about mine explosions on the Tajik-Uzbek borderline. It is a lie, a pure myth, - some people exclaimed.
On the same day the explosion of an antiinfantry mine caused the death of: Marhabo Normatova, born in 1962; Manzura Kojayeva, born in 1970; Gulpari Hojiyeva, born in 1987; Mavzuna Normatova, born in 1988; Gulshoda Hojiyeva, born in 1990. All of them were residents of Qizillilol village, Isfara district, citizens of the Republic of Tajikistan. It was reality! For those who suffered a loss, who saw the killed.
For the first time the mine explosions on our earth left deep pits, crippled nature, dire rumours. For those who didn't see these traces it was a myth, of course! The first mine explosions not only took away the lives of five citizens, they converted into an invalid 38-years-old Mujiba Hojiyeva who was a witness of that mincing machine in which her daughters Gulpari and Gulshoda, her relatives perished. It was reality!
Further on myths and reality were going side by side. Somebody believed in the reports, other assumed an air of unawareness of what was occurring around. MM, independent ones chiefly, sounded the alarm, they informed about Uzbek antiinfantry mines installed along the transparent, so called Uzbek-Tajik frontier counter to international norms, normative acts, Conventions, Charters, Summits! It was reality! Official Tashkent kept silence, full of significance. The Tajik authorities didn't utter a word either though they ought to have reminded about the unprecedented incident in Isfara district of Sughd viloyat through their MM, at least. But they didn't have done it. Still some time later the president of Uzbekistan confesses the fact of mining "his state frontier".
We open the brackets: the notion "state frontier" in the given case is relative and approximate not only for Uzbekistan and Tajikistan but almost for all the sovereign states of the former Union. We remind, that not only then when the first mine explosion had resounded (29.08.2000, Qizillilol village, Isfara district) but today either when the last one (let God make it really be the last) happened on the Tajik-Uzbek borderline (22.08.2002, Navgarzan place, Asht district), neither Uzbek nor Tajik authorities can call precisely where this line stretches. Because this line hasn't been laid out yet. Moreover, the issues of disputable plots and territories haven't been resolved. To say the truth, at that time president Karimov focused the attention of the world public at large on three moments. The mines are set designing on the premise of the state interests and state security of Uzbekistan being aimed against the militants of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). They mined the terrains of the state frontier situated 3000 meters high over sea level. In addition, small tablets are pitched along all the stretch of the mined zone. These three arguments were badly grounded. Because peaceful people perished not on altitudes but on the plane. If a person is in sound mind would s/he subject himself/herself to death when tablets point to it conspicuously? What's the sense of pitching tablets if you warn a militant-enemy by it?
The reality was quite different. All the mine explosions, which resounded during the whole period having taken away the lives of 57 people, occurred in an immediate nearness from the populated units. If to take into account the relief of the locality they themselves are practically situated at the altitude of over thousand meters. The same quantum of Tajikistan citizens were mutilated ("Varorud" IAA data for August 22, 2002). As for the mined steppe territories they are located chiefly at the altitude in the range of 1000-1500 meters.
I am far from the idea of accusing the neighbors in their ignorance in geography. It seems to me that the respective services deliberately put altitudes lower to lead under error the world public circles.
Another reality lies in the fact that the Tajik authorities merely didn't know how and where Uzbek mines lay. Otherwise they would have notified the population about the danger. And in so far as tablets are concerned, being assigned for pointing to the terrains mined, it is a lie pursuing the purpose of justifying themselves.
But there is another reality too. Statistics says nothing about Juma Namangani's militants who would have blasted. Not even an only narcocourier paving successfully his way not exclusively through mountainous paths was blown up. Both from the Tajik and the Uzbek sides do perish peaceful and innocent people: children, women, and old persons. These are who overrun the frontier to make their living, or they graze their herds, store woods t make up a bonfire to keep their hearth.
In the middle of the summer passed the entire world heard on AF air waves the story of a woman, which caused pain in the hearts of millions. "My husband was blown up with the mine. The children became orphans. But I am afraid that when my children grow up and ask how their father perished I shall have been compelled to tell them that their father blasted on the Uzbek mine. And they shall not have understood me. Still we are Uzbeks though we live in Tajikistan, but these are Uzbek mines that have been killing us. Of course, we are Tajik Uzbeks, but still…"
A common Uzbek woman who lives in a remote village pronounced these words. How could she have perceived such a simple but so great truth!
"I lived under emirs, khans, the Russians tsar and in the years of the Soviet power", - tells 102 years-old Shodmonoy Suyunova, resident of Sari-Kamar village, Hurmi jamoat, Panjakent district, - but never have I seen such barbarity on the part of neighbors, neither Bukhara emir, nor Kokand khan, nor emperor Nicolay the second did venture to do such things. In April 2002 a mine took away the life of my grandson Mukbiljon. Four-years-old Gulshoda remained an orphan. And two months later the son of the perished was born. Now he is an orphan from the very birth. The tragedy lies in the fact that it was an Uzbek who had set this mine and it was also an Uzbek, my grandson, who was blown up by it!"
I am not going to lay the events thick, but one can understand the people who have suffered the abominable tragedy. Not indulging into emotions I do say: Uzbek mines are aimed against Uzbek themselves, insomuch as chiefly Uzbeks do inhabit the areas lying along Uzbek frontiers. They are peaceful people, whether we do want it, or not, ethnically they do entertain love for their nation, for the country called Uzbekistan. Are they to blame having remained on the opposite side of the frontier meanwhile their compatriots are across the borderline? Every now and then they have been heading for the opposite quarter to visit their neighbors, relatives and simply to wander along the well-known familiar places. That very Mukbiljon, for example, went to pick up mushrooms. And Sabohat with Kholisa, young girls, wanted to go to Tashkent through Angren in order to enter higher schools of Uzbekistan. Husband and wife Umarovs simply wanted to stock up firewood.
Uzbek official authorities and MM keep silence of the facts that citizens of Uzbekistan do perish too being blown up by their own Uzbek mines. Inoyat Rasulov, citizen of Uzbekistan, perished under mine explosion in Azban-Jubbon place, Urgut district of Samarkand viloyat and another countryman of his Rahim Suyunov remained invalid forever. But in Uzbekistan they prefer not to release such facts.
But as they say, time is going on, everything passed being left behind, and everything changes. Sooner or later, people's pain is to be comprehended. And, first of all, by those, who will sustain it by themselves. Let us recall the obvious example - the events happened on September 11, 2001 - when the most invulnerable people on the planet conceived how painfully and frightfully it is when citizens of your state, your nation do perish. And you do feel more frightful when you yourself do exterminate the nation. And you are to defend it. And Americans do defend it, they defend it beyond the boundaries of their motherland. All this is done in the name of the good, the triumph of justice. Is it just to oppose the peoples?
Everything is in a flowing movement, everything is changed. People are changed and their psychology is changed. In the long run they begin to understand one another. One wants to hope that both Tajiks and Uzbeks will have understood that they should live in peace and friendship. The relations between the two peoples being eternal neighbors will have normalized - but people do continue to be perishing from mines - they are Uzbeks and Tajiks. Isn't it high time to think that mines ought to go out form our life, to cease barricading one people from another in order they lived in peace and concord as they did in the times of Jami and Navoi?