What follows is one part of a cross-blog initiative that commemorates the 1991 Moscow coup and evaluates the years in between.

Early Years of Independence

The fall of Soviet Union lead to two major changes in Tajikistan. Following the 1991 coup in Russia, Tajikistan declared independence September of 1991 and plunged into a civil war.

Early years of independence were very chaotic. They marked themselves by a sudden loss of economic ties with Soviet Republics, reinforcement of Islam on people’s daily lives and growth of nationalistic sentiment among Tajiks. With those came a growing concern among the population about the future of the country and its final course.

The Civil War

Early political frictions were mild (as a teenager I remember how the first Tajik president Mahkamov was voted out by the Tajik parliament and replaced by Rahmon Nabiev). Those were the times when political thought just formed in Tajikistan. When political thought took its final form and later consolidated, Tajiks split into two major political factions (Secular and pro-Islamic/Democratic). This is when things started to get serious. Pro-Islamic movement initiated antigovernment demonstrations in Dushanbe aimed to discredit and replace the government lead by Rahmon Nabiev.

A large crowd was gathered from all over the country to represent the movement. Majority of people (as far as I could tell) were ordinary folk, who were told to get on buses by their respective leaders and taken to a square in front of the government building (now The Presidential Palace). The square would later be referred to as Maidoni Shahidon (trans. Martyr’s square).

Perhaps one of the most bizarre things was the fact that many people in the crowd were hungry students who came to the demonstration to eat. When asked the protesters had no idea about the purpose of the demonstration. I recall an interview on the local TV where a journalist asked a protester why he was there. The response was “because I was told to come”. I believe, the mere fact that the crowd was present allowed the movement to push its agenda onto people. Pro-Islamic movement envisioned Tajikistan to be a state governed by Islamic law and had strong nationalistic views. Soon the movement gained a strong following.

The secular political faction almost simultaneously organized its own demonstration in a square across the Tajik Parliament building, which would later be dubbed Maidoni Ozodi (Freedom Square). The methods of “recruiting” supporters were pretty much the same: plenty of food and constant speeches about how the movement saw the future of the country. The main political position was for the separation of religion from government.

Violence started in Dushanbe in 1992 when pro-Islamic forces seized the government building and country’s only central TV station. Rahmon Nabiev was forced to resign in front of cameras. Those who supported secular movement had to flee Dushanbe as they no longer felt safe.

Khatlon Region prepared itself for civil war. Large number of people were gathered in mosques and shown footage of dead men presumably killed by pro-Islamic militants. The language of the footage played on public’s fear. Communities started self-mobilization and prepared to defend themselves against attacks.

In picking sides, ideology was not relevant. Divisions were clan-based. Anyone who came from Kulob Region was seen as secular and anyone from Pomir and Gharm were Islamists by default. All these clans spoke Tajik in a dialect distinct to their location so identifying an enemy was as easy as talking to them.

During 1992-1993 a large-scale civil war erupted in Khatlon Region leading to an estimated 30,000 to 100,000 deaths. Thousands took refuge in neighboring Afghanistan driven out by secular forces.

By 1994 secular movement secured the capital and held a vote among the members of parliament for the head of state. In that vote Emomali Rahmonov (incumbent President) was elected as a head of state. The event marked the defeat of the pro-Islamic forces in the country. Although the Islamists would not stop their struggle (mainly information war) for another 3 years (till 1997), the main war was won by secular Tajiks.

In 1997 the Tajik President signs an agreement with the pro-Islamic opposition, granting it a 30% representation in Tajik government.

Post-conflict Era

The Tajik civil war took a heavy toll on the country’s development. Tajikistan was devastated both politically and economically. Russia abandoned Soviet ruble as a monetary unit after the fall of Soviet Union, while replacing it with new Russian rubles. For many old-generation folks like my parents, the move cost their entire life savings. The Russian currency was later replaced by Tajik rubles, which lost their value faster than Tajikistan could produce them.

Lack of production, high levels of unemployment and hunger pushed many Tajiks to look for new sources of income. Russia became a major destination (equivalent of Wild West) for many young generations of Tajiks who traveled there to work and earn money. Among the 40 students in my class in University 30 would eventually end up in Russia. Some would further pursue their education but most would opt for low paid jobs in order to support their families.

By late 90s the country became politically more stable and began its economic recovery for the first time since the fall of Soviet Union.