Thorny identities

By Shadi Khan Saif in Kabul Source:Global Times Published: 2015-1-5 23:38:01

Ethnic questions put brakes on Afghanistan’s plan for national ID cards


An advertisement for the new ID cards in downtown Kabul.



The Afghan government has gone ahead with the plans to introduce controversial Biometric Identity Cards (BICs) as soon as possible, brushing aside the demands to incorporate a category for ethnicity, a sensitive matter in Afghanistan, on the face of the new ID cards.

In recent days in the Afghan capital of Kabul, groups of young university students and government clerks can be seen in almost every neighborhood, sitting in the streets under the warm sun and having sips of country's favorite green tea while filling out forms for the new identity cards.

In contrast to this ease and calm in various upscale parts in Kabul, there is growing frustration and anxiety in other parts of the country toward the project.

There had been loud calls to incorporate a section for ethnicity on the face of the cards, beginning right from the moment when the plan was conceived a couple of years ago.

Now, as the government has shown determination to go ahead a project it sees as crucial for electoral transparency, among other matters, these frustrations are gaining strength.

A group of Afghan cobblers from different ethnicities sitting by the Kabul River. Photos: Courtesy of Shadi Khan Saif



Ethnic sensitivities


In Afghanistan's multi-ethnic society, the Pasthtun majority group considers itself a member of the "Afghan" ethnicity, while other smaller groups like the Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks, Turkmen, Balochs and others like to associate themselves with the broader term of "Afghanistanis."

Afghanistan's history has been marred by bloody conflicts amongst the various groups. Most recently, many ethnic minorities considered the Taliban to be a Pashtun militia rather than a radical group with ideas derived from religious sources.

Similarly, a new generation of educated Pashtuns feels targeted by both sides: anti-Taliban forces who lump them in with the extremists, and Taliban who target them naturally due to their proximity.

Some argue that, with precise population estimates unavailable because Afghanistan has never conducted a nationwide census, documenting citizens' ethnicity on the national ID card could also help the government accurately determine the size of the country's various ethnic groups.

For others, it is simply a matter of true identity in the digital age.

All these factors have complicated the issue of ethnic identity.

The Afghan government wanted to issue biometric cards to citizens in time for the country's presidential election in April to help curtail fraud and promote national unity, but the resulting uproar derailed the government's plan.

"We have come across this issue in some parts of the city but generally it's not a big fuss," said Najibullah, a volunteer helping to fill out ID forms in a district of Kabul.

But the new government has already indicated it will brook no further delays in carrying out the project.

Officials had promised to begin distributing BICs within two weeks of December 22, 2014. However, the first cards had still not been issued as of the beginning of 2015.

According to officials, the new BICs will include the photo, name, family name, address, date of birth and mother tongue of the holder on their face.

Humayoun Mohtat, Director of Biometric Identity Cards Issuing Authority (BICIA), told the Global Times his countrymen should be assured that their ethnicities are properly registered in the cards' supporting documents.

The BICIA director added that the cards are being created and issued in accordance with international ­standards. "The parliament has endorsed the international standards, which do not include nationality on the face of the card but rather in supporting data."

In the first round, residents of the capital Kabul would be issued the new cards, he said, adding that the project would then be expanded to more restive suburban districts of the capital.

Following the 90-day trial period, the project will then be rolled out nationwide, BICIA officials have said.

The authority aims to distribute some 15,000 BICs per day.

A matter of life and death

Those demanding that their true nationality be written on the face of the new cards are still not giving up.

Kamal Saadat, who represents a number of political parties and community organizations, told a crowded news conference in Kabul this week that the cards were unacceptable.

"We would like to meet the ­president and administrative board of the parliament to present our demand. If they failed to meet it we will launch nationwide protests," he warned, calling it a matter of "life and death."

The author is a freelance writer based in Kabul. saifkhaniz6@gmail.com

Posted in: Asia-Pacific

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