DUSHANBE, 18.11.2017. /NIAT «Khovar»/. The relatives and friends of Haydar Qosimov the Soviet Union Hero from Tajikistan admitted that the case of his brutal killing is one of the killings of famous Tajiks from the side IRPT (the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan) members in the 90s of the last century.

They noted that Qosimov was killed along with Safarali Kenjaev, Saif Rahimzodi Afardi, Muhiddin Olimpur, Minhoj Ghulomov, Ishoqi and other prominent statesmen by IRPT members, with the aim of inciting parties involved in the conflict and civilians.

Qanoatsho Abdulloev, the Principal of the secondary school # 4 of Jaihun District and Zulmatov Qobiljon, the chairman of the Council of War and Labor Veterans of these districts gave an interview to “Khatlon” newspaper, about their memories of participation in civil war, and about killing of the last Hero of the Soviet Union, Haydar Qosimov by IRPT members.

First of all, I would like to be remembered about the USSR hero — outstanding personality in the world of politics famous not only in Tajikistan but all of the former USSR. What are your kinship ties with him?

My Aunt Tojinniso was the wife of Haydar Qosimov. We had a friendly and strong family. She was a teacher, “Excellence in Education of the Soviet Union» and  Haydar Qosimov is an outstanding figure, a participant in the Second World War, the Hero of the USSR, was elected several times as a people’s deputy. In 1978 – 1983, I was studied at the Pedagogical Institute of the city of Qurghon-Teppa and almost daily visited the house of Haydar Qosimov.

-Did he live in Vakhsh district?

— At that time he had lived in the «Sokhtmon» village, farmers association  “Turkmenistan» (now «Tojikobod»), Vakhsh district. His grandsons and great-grandchildren still live there.

Passing years, when I wrote articles about the heroic deed of Haydar Qosimov, my interlocutor from the Procurator’s Office said that at the end of the 1992 year, Qosimov has refugee along with close relatives to Jayhun district, and then the unknown people took the USSR Hero to an unknown direction and then killed…

Haidar Qosimov and his close relatives took refuge in my house. After the clashes in Vakhsh district, Qosimov with his family came to our home in Qumsangir district in August-September 1992. In that time our family consisting is 14 people, taking into account the arrived relatives, reached 60 people in one house.

A piece of flat cake was divided in half. My father was also a member of the Second World War. They talked for a long time in the night. Since November 1992, the people’s forced displacement to Afghanistan began.

In particular, our family and the family of Qosimov also come to Tajik-Afghan border. In that place Qosimov said that we will not cross the border, we should stay at home. He added that «I’ll die, but only in my homeland! I shed blood for this homeland. I did not fight with anyone, why should they kill me?”- He shouted.

While Haydar Qosimov did not leave the border, the 30 — 40% of the population facing refuge of the farmers association of «Turkmenistan» returned to their homes. They respected and listened to every their words. Every night, the people of farmers association gathered in our home and talked with him. In general, he stayed, only his son has refugees. Qosimov even disobeyed the demands and pressures of representatives and armed groups of the IRPT, who agitated the population to cross the border.

-What are these groups and why did they agitate?

— They were mercenaries. Then it turned out that they were financed by the IRPT, the people involved in the agitation to refugees, large privileges from the Iranians were waiting on the other side of the border. They incited violence among the population. They received money for sending people across the border. They wanted all the «Karategins» to go to Afghanistan. But Qosimov did not believe them and did not follow their orders.

-Why did they have to leave?

— In the first, as I have already noted, some IRPT members received large profits from the number of refugees. On that time 300 to 400 thousand refugees came to Qumsangir from Qurghon- Teppa region. The IRPT organized several agitation groups, which constantly worked among people, incited them to go to Afghanistan. These were pre-prepared by the IRPT, special groups, in other words, they were thieves recidivists of the IRPT. I think they had political goals and were compelled to carry out the will of their leaders. They were dependent on the Iranians.

-What has happened next?

— Qosimov and other people have crossed borderline. Some of them were lived in schools, mosques, and houses. I met the coming New-Year of 1993 with Qosimov. One day, on the January morning, the Unknown Soldier with came and, took him away.

-What did you say?

—  “Shouted at him and noted that you an unclean communist have committed heroism in the name of the USSR, why are you fighting?” Today you send back my words? Who are you? Hero, for yourself you are a hero! Get up, go with us!!! «.

Two days passed, but Qosimov did not appear. At that time were afraid to go out and organize a search. Together with my aunt, who was a teacher, I went to the prosecutor’s office and applied.

The prosecutor’s office announced a search, but there was no news. Spring came; there was no news from him. In a morning, a friend came in and said that near the PMK they found two corpses, one of them, similar in appearance, looks like Qosimov.

Only the shirt learned that he was Qosimov — the last hero of the USSR in the Second World War, which was brutally killed by an ungrateful generation. The one who accomplished the feat for the sake of victory over the enemy prepared favorable conditions for the future generation and with honor elevated the name of the Tajik! It was not possible to raise the body of «Rustam Qahramon», killed by jackals, which three months passed. Thus, in March 1993, he was buried in the “Dehai Bolo”.

— Did not find out who was involved in this case?

— Of course, provocateurs were involved in this. Yes, I mean IRPT members, who were provocateurs. All the unpleasant things they brought, ungrateful, trampled food bread, to start protest and mass murder and forces people out of their homes and countries.

Oh, what else to say …  Allah will punish them!!! On that time, in order to incite the people, they destroyed outstanding figures. The unknown people to come home, and scolded Qosimov, he reproached them with the words «why are you inciting people?», «We are all one nation — Tajiks, do not engage in localism!!! Who are your leaders? “He was taken away just after such words.

— What group were they from?

— They were thieves, provocateurs, who spread strife among peoples, did not want peace and stability. They were terrorists and scum of the IRPT.

For them, there was no difference that you were a Tajik, an Uzbek and an Afghan, for their own benefit was ready for anything. I think that they were foreign mercenaries.

A Tajik, who loves his nation and his homeland, would never have done such a thing. A 71 Qosimov has become a political victim — a victim of mullahs, and a victim of the IRPT members.

In order to incite were killed, several prominent Tajik scientists. By the killing of Qosimov, they sowed discord among the «Karotegin», to incite them against the Khatlon regions people. Their main goal was to oppose the population of the two regions against each other and to plunge Tajikistan into fire and ashes.

Today, the IRPT involved in the killing of historic outstanding figures, in order to intend to destabilize the situation in the country. The passing time has shown that they are all mercenaries. Back in the days of the USSR, they secretly established their party, tried to influence the minds of people in their own interests.

The group of activists of these parties and movements was trained abroad. The starting of force meeting and killing of civilians peoples in 90s centuries has organized by IRPT. Islam is in the heart. To support Islam is determined by the party membership? In such ways has attracted people to the party. Correctly say «Every curve thing, it will not reach home».

— So, are you implying that the IRPT was at the source of all these events from the beginning?

— Yes. Because in that moment this party had its influence in Qumsangir district.

During the Civil War, the representative of the IRPT was involved in the crossing out the Tajik people from the border and leaves their native land. As noted, the representatives of this party agitated the population to cross the Tajik-Afghan border. Their goal was that as many people as possible crossed to the opposite side. Their program consisted that as much as possible of dissatisfaction was shown by the state and authority and by such way to come to soil preparation and creation of the Islamic state.

In Jaihun district, the intelligentsia and local teachers provided a certain ideological resistance, so that the people were not deceived by separate extremist organizations. In those days, perhaps because of the low and weak worldview of individual parts of the country’s inhabitants, several people called the «mullah» turned people’s heads, promising to build an Islamic state. We saw this Islamic state! I think that some manifestations of savagery and brutality, the current «ISIL» took from IRPT members. I do not see any difference between them! Organized rallies, deceived the people, and used them to achieve their own selfish goals.

No matter how bitter and sad it is to realize that such as national outstanding figures, in particular, Haydar Qosimov was the victim of their intrigues.

Zulmatov Qobiljon, the Chairman of the War and Labor Veterans and concurrently, the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Communist Party at Jaihun district joined to the conversation.

-Haidar Qosimov was a political figure. When I was the first secretary of the Komsomol committee at the Qumsangir district, the district’s youth often asked me to organize a meeting with him.

With the assistance of Qumsangir leadership, we were holding several meetings with Haidar Qosimov, which we remembered forever.

As refugees, I met with him in Jaihun area. It is a pity that the dream of the enemies that killed such outstanding figures and sowed seeds of enmity, confusion, and war among the people came true.

— What do you think, who did this?

— The enemies of the nation. Those, who under the mask of the opposition “danced under strange melodies”. They were so. Now it is no secret to anyone that the source of the war in Tajikistan was the IRPT. My question is this that was the people of Tajikistan, not a Muslim before their coming to the political arena? The most IRPT active leaders were educated in Iran and Pakistan. Their ultimate goal was to overthrow our existing system of statehood. They were involved in all the strife that took place in Tajikistan in the early 90’s.

They, saying that “for 70 years the Communist Party has eaten, drank, dragged, turned us into atheists, stripped faith”, incited the people to revolt. They took the weapons and used the misguided people. Was it that at the time of the Soviets, that is, Soviet power, there was at least one occasion for anyone to create a family, that is, to marry without circumcision, someone married without nikah (marrying in Islamic family law), or betrayed land without a religious funeral rite. These enemies of the nation insisted that they would create an Islamic state.

— You said that in the 90’s you worked in Jaihun district. At that time, the political situation was tense, the number of refugees has grown by leaps and bounds, and how did you manage to fulfill your functional duties?

— As I remember that IRPT had its own headquarters in our district. At that time I was the director of the livestock farm.

The opposition forcibly collected money from all organizations.

— Why did they asked for money?

—  They said openly that they “must buy weapons, take power into their own hands and create an Islamic state”. I instructed the chief accountant to disclose the funds available to the workers as a prepayment for two or three months in advance, to transfer the remainder to the account of those factories to which we were in debtors so that the money would not go to the renaissances. The IRPT had also created its base in Afghanistan.

I am convinced that the IRPT is the continuation of the Basmachi movement of 1920-1930, killing teachers, beheading intelligentsia. They broke morally and physically those people who worked for the sake of progress and development. Basmachis also called the Bolsheviks kafirs, that is, infidels. If, the so-called “kafir” built schools, roads, bridges, trained, educated, treated free of charge so that his actions contradict the canons of Islam. On the contrary, the Islamists were engaged in the destruction of roads and bridges, executions of the intelligentsia, and pogroms. Three teachers were hanged in Haita.

— You are the head of Communist Party in Jaihun district. Tell me, please, what did the IRPT do at the local level before the official ban of its activities?

— The constitution of the country guarantees freedom of activity of political parties. Currently, there are 7 parties in Tajikistan. However, the Constitution does not allow parties to come to power by violent means, through murders and bloodshed. When I was the head of the Communist Party of the region, the IRPT members came with threats such as “destroy the family”, “you will not get rid of the party ticket, you are not a Muslim” and like this. I think that Haydar Qosimov, the Hero of the Soviet Union, was killed for not being not only their like-minded person, moreover, he was against their ideology and anti-national goals.

P.S. Haydar Qosimov had participated in more than 1,200 battles of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. The personnel of his unit has undergone changes more than hundred times and from them one he has remained alive. In 1957, he was awarded the Gold Star of Hero of the Soviet Union for defeating certain enemy units on the outskirts of Berlin and other military merits.

However, in 1993, being the last Soviet Union Hero from Tajikistan at the age of 71, after his home was burned and the family’s escape to the Qumsangir district was mercilessly killed by the IRPT members.

After the article was ready, Saidjalol Siyahakov, one of the deputies of the Security Organization for the Migrants of the Islamic Renaissance of Tajikistan, in a special conversation with the “Khatlon” newspaper, said that Haydar Qosimov had been killed on the state border with Afghanistan by one of the ruthless militants of this structure named Mustafa (Mustafa nahzati) on the instruction of the special services of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The place where he was killed was controlled by the renaissances at that time. Later, around 1994, in the conversations Mustafa boasted and said how he killed “Haydar Qosimov — the hero”.

Interviewed
Nosirjon Ma’murzoda
“Khatlon” newspaper correspondent

(Reprinted from “Jumhuriyat”
14.11.2017. #232)