DUSHANBE, 08.11.2017. /NIAT «Khovar»/. The newspaper “Payomi Istaravshan” (“Istaravshan Newsletter”) published an open letter of a group of residents of Istaravshan city to the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hujjatullah Faghoni in the №40 (9250) of 20 October 2017. Ilhom Yuldoshev, one of the letter authors disclosed in the beginning of the letter the main reasons for its writing.

In nowadays, everyone knows that Burhonov Yunus Abbasovich, who was born in the ancient city of Istaravshan, is in the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran and with his incendiary materials constantly accuses and slanders his people and nation. Undoubtedly, his adventurous antics do not have any impact, but it is unpleasant to us that under the pseudonym “Istaravshani” he defames the name of our ancient city. For preventing of further discrediting of our region, we are a group of city residents decided to address the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Tajikistan and explain to him the true nature of this person.

After the writing the letter, this group authorized me Yuldoshev Ilhom Ergashevich to convey a letter to Mr. Ambassador. They collected money for me on the road, hired a car and on Wednesday, October 17th, 2017, I went to Dushanbe city. After driving through two mountain passes and two tunnels, finally, I have reached the capital. Despite the fatigue from the long road, I was already at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran at 14:00 and asked the responsible person of the embassy to convey my request to the Ambassador. The Iranian diplomatic officer approached me in a few minutes later and asked me who am I, what am I doing and what is the purpose of my meeting with the Ambassador. On introducing myself, I said that I have a letter from the group of Istaravshan residents to the Ambassador, and on their request, I had to hand it personally to the Ambassador. An embassy official said that “Mr. Ambassador is busy, and you can call on number 4888810, you will be assigned a meeting time” …

Then, I called on this number, but I could not contact with anybody. I was forced to go to the embassy again. The same employee received me again and said: “There is an error in this phone number and in fact, this number is 48888610. There is no Ambassador now, call during the day, you will be given the results”. I rang the next day and one of the embassy staff, Iranian picked up the phone, and when I told him about my intention, he replied that “Mr. Ambassador doesn’t receive anyone. I do not have time. I will invite one of our Tajik staff now, he will listen to you”…

When I saw that there is no sense, surprised and driven to extremes rented a car, having passed two mountain passes and two tunnels, tired and exhausted, I returned to Istaravshan.

On the way, the thought worried me about “why the ambassador of such great country didn’t receive and neglect to meet with a simple teacher who came with the request of a group of citizens. Only in Dushanbe, I found that his name is Faghoni. I was thinking so why he in receives Blind Yunus, who constantly denigrates a friendly to him the state with which the common faith and language, at the highest level and creates all conditions for his slanderous activities. What a mystery?

When I got to Istaravshan, I explained to residents the situation and we decided to publish the letter in the media. Maybe, then the Ambassador would find time to read it. The rest is on their conscience”.

TO THE AMBASSADOR OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN IN THE REPUBLIC OF TAJIKISTAN HUJJATULLAH FAGHONI

Dear Mr. Ambassador!

First, we are the authors of the letter send greetings on behalf of the residents of Istaravshan to You and to the entire people of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

A common history and culture connect Istaravshanis with the people of Iran. This community convinces us not to be silent and therefore we address you with this letter. We do not know how you will perceive our message, but the writing of this letter and breaking the silence, which is worse than death and lasts for many years, is our civic and patriotic duty and honor.

Mr. Ambassador! You and every intelligent resident of the Islamic Republic of Iran are well aware of the history of the ancient city of Istaravshan. It is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia and the second largest city of Sughd region, which has more than 2500 years of history. You may well know that the founder and architect of this ancient land is Cyrus the Great, and the city is known and loved both in Tajikistan and abroad under the names of Kurushkada and Cyropol (529-559 BC). Namely, this city and its brave patriotic people had a tough confrontation against the consistent attacks of Alexander of Macedon. This commander was wounded on this land and only by deception and cunning after a long encirclement and with the help of additional forces entered into Cyropol.

Perhaps it is also well known to you that thousands of brave and honest soldiers of Istravshan fought decades against the Arabs and Mongols. Probably, you read the memoirs of Russian commanders about the 80 days of struggle of the brave people of Istaravshan against the Russian army (October 2nd, 1866). The struggle for the purity of religion, traditions and the good name of the Motherland, the respect to the brave spirit of ancestors always was, is and will be the motto of the Istaravshanis.

Istaravshan (Cyropol, Kurushkada, Ustrushana, Uroteppa) was the home of such nobles of science and literature as Shibli, Shahdi, Zufarkhon Javhari, academicians Ahror Mukhtorov, Rajab Amonov, Ulmas Mirsaidov, Pulod Bobojonov, Khursheda Otakhonova and such heroes as Nabi Akramov, Kamol Okhunov, Sabohat Jamolova and hundreds others, who are not only the pride of fellow countrymen, as well as the country and its abroad.

Mr. Ambassador! We think that you understand our goal in this forward. We want that our land and our Motherland were clean as our language from those who want to desecrate the people of their land. We wanted to bring this with you to those who speak about common language, faith, and culture, but as preachers saying this in the stand and another under the curtain.

Now about the main goal. There is talk about a person by the name of Sayidyunus Burhonov, who is as a refuge in the Islamic Republic of Iran and using the nickname Istaravshani defiles our people. We do not care about his thoughts, his way of life, his unclean goals. But we do not want and will not allow this immoral person to burden us with a load of misery and desecrate the pure name of Istaravshan — the land of the patriotic people. We do not want that a country with which we have a common language and faith — Iran considered this prodigal and a puppet of foreign hands the representative of our people, our city and used him.

Istaravshanis already well know the current and past history of Sayidyunus Burhonov and want that you and the people of Iran knew him too.

Sayidyunus’s grandfather — Burhon was the head of the warehouse in poverty period when the people did not have a piece of bread. Because of his greed, he stole the wheat, and to hide his deed burned the warehouse. For this, he had been arrested and sent to exile in Siberia for ten years.

“The apple never falls far from the tree”. Sayidyunus’ father Abbos is also known among the Istravshanis as a horse thief. He abducted horses in Tajikistan and sold them in a neighboring country. If you ask in Istaravshan, who is the father of Sayidyunus, who wants to discredit the name of Istaravshan, all in one voice say: “Horsethief Abbos”. “What is the father, such as the son”, — the popular saying says.

Sayidyunus, who could not continue study at college (he was expelled from this college), chooses the easiest way, and thanks to the “luck” of time become a mullah. He tricked into marrying the daughter of his mentor Mullah Mairuf and involved her into a grouping of Salafis. This simple and deceived woman goes to prison in neighboring Tajikistan country and unfortunately dies away from her children in prison. Today the relatives of this deceived woman are in search of Sayidyunus Burhonov, known in our region, as “Blind Yunus”.

The machinations of this “friend” of your country do not end there. He, deceiving the 17-years old resident of Istaravshan Sangova Sumaya, brings her to Iranian Kum for study. At a time when his first wife still was in prison, he has promised a well-maintained house and happy life to this lonely and lost girl, married her. They lived for a year and had a daughter. After a while, Sayidyunus had also divorced with Sumaya. Now this woman with the child in confusion wanders without any means of livelihood.

Mullah-like Sayidyunus, during his stay in Tajikistan, was engaged in the trade of narcotic substances and involved his relatives in this business with tricks and cunning. For the sake of profit, he dragged his brother Burhanov Yusuf Abbosovich into drug trafficking, who spent more than five years in prison. Another of his brother Burhonov Mansur Abbosovich sent to Iran’s Mazandaran, who was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment in 2002 on charges of involvement in extremist activities. Despite the fact that later he was released under an amnesty, nevertheless, he again went to prison because of drug trafficking.

As we see, Sayidyunus Istaravshani is not that person for whom he shows himself in social networks from Iran.

Mr. Ambassador! I hope you have a well know the true face of Sayidyunus Burhonov, who, like a camel that has fallen out of the herd, having satiated enjoying the grass from someone else’s feeders, is dragged into the arena of Internet networks for “fight” of the owners of the feeding trough.

Even if the glory of friendship and brotherhood between our countries reaches the skies, this camel is not going to leave the feeder in the nearest future. Unfortunately, the owners also do not intend to let go of a profitable animal!

We, the residents of Istaravshan, regret that the place of enlighteners of our countries, who throughout history had spoken with the creations of A. Rudaki and Firdausi, Hafiz, and Saadi, now occupies by Sayidyunus (the Blind Yunus, the son of horse thief Abbos), the dishonest and disgraced descendant of Istaravshan.

Mr. Ambassador! Let Sayidyunus Burhanov write and say anything at the bidding of his masters in Iran. The purpose of our letter is only one: let him renounce so dear for us the name of “Istravshani”, personifying pride and dignity, patriotism, virtue, and knowledge of his sons, from the name of Sayidyunus — the son of a family where the grandfather stole the bread of the people, the father was a horse thief, he himself caused the death of a woman in prison, a libertine who is the cause of the abandoned wife and children, because of which the brothers are imprisoned on charges of extremism and drug trafficking.

As Sayidyunus Burhonov is under the tutelage of the Islamic Republic of Iran, we ask you and the Iranian leadership to assist for a good cause — so that Sayidyunus Burhonov renounced the nickname “Istravshani”.

Reprinted from the newspaper
“Payomi Istaravshan”
20th October 2017, №40 (9250)