Who are Hazara?

Hazara migration to Iran started in the late 19 century when Abdul Rahman Khan became king of Afghanistan in 1880.
Abdul Rahman khan, the cruel king of Afghanistan massacred more then 60% of Hazaras by the late 19th century until his date in oct-01-1901. It was then, when the Hazaras started to flee for their lives from Afghanistan to the neighboring countries including Pakistan, Iran, and a smaller number to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
Population of the first wave of Hazaras who moved to Iran due to the 19th century atrocities by the Afghanistan Government in that period of history are now around 600,000, mostly live in the eastern province of Khurasan. Descendants of this group of Hazaras are called Khawaris or Barbaris.
Unlike Hazaras of Pakistan, Khawaris are not recognized as a Hazara ethnic or tribe in Iran, despite their distinct south-Asian facial features and their history of geographical misplacement. Over the passing of generations, Khawaris/Barbaris language has gradually changed from Dari, Hazaragi dialect to Iranian persian/farsi.

Migration of Hazara refugees to Iran started from the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 to the current political unrest, and Hazara Targeted killings / Hazara Genocide.
Hazara refugees in Iran are living a stressful and difficult life due to many restrictions and bylaws imposed on Afghan Refugees. For example, Hazaras refugees living in Iran can not travel freely between cities. They are only allowed to work in some designated factories provided that they have legal refugee documents and work permit.

Hazaras of Pakistan are a small minority group, mostly live in the city of Quetta, in the state of Baluchistan.
Hazara migration started as early as 1835 as factory workers, railroad workers, and farmers during the British colonial era in the Indian subcontinent. When Abdul Rahman Khan became king in Afghanistan, he started to torture and massacre Hazaras for their religious , social, and political believes as well as belong to a different tribe and having different facial features.
Abdul Rahman khan, the cruel king of Afghanistan massacred more then 60% of Hazaras by the late 19th century until his date in oct-01-1901. It was then, when the Hazaras started to flee for their lives from Afghanistan to the neighboring countries including Pakistan, Iran, and a smaller number to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
A larger number of Hazara refugees were settled in the north-western part of Pakistan in the state of Baluchistan and the eastern Part of Iran in the province of Khurasan, for their proximity to the Afghanistan border.

Hazaras settled outside of their native Afghanistan have gone through some kind of Identity changes.
The only Hazara group that fled and settled outside of Afghanistan due to Abdul Rahman Khan Hazara Genocide, are the Hazaras of Pakistan who kept their ethnic identity.

They still speak the Native Hazaragi Language.
Hazaras are officially recognized as an ethnic group in Pakistan, and they are mostly living in the city of Quetta, Baluchistan and a smaller population in the areas of Hussain Gut, Mengohpeer in Karachi, and very few in other parts of Pakistan.
There are no accurate census data about Hazaras of Pakistan , but it said that there are about 1.5 Million Hazaras living in Pakistan.

The late 19th century and the dawn of 20th century are considered to be the darkest period in Hazara history.
Abdul Rahman Khan, who sat on the throne in 1880, started to impose higher taxes on Hazaras, trying to change their religious believes, treading Hazaras differently as second class citizens, and forcing them to accept his dictatorship without question.
Hazaras started to disagree with the new restrictions/bylaws and wanted the king to make some changes, treat Hazaras like other ethnics, and let them practice their Shia-Muslim believes.

Abdul Rahmand Khan, instead of accepting Hazara demands, started to torture and jail their movement leaders and Hazara Elders for opposing the new laws.

Vast demonstrations gradually formed in all Hazarajat (places belonged to Hazara people) with legal and rightful demands, but the Government responded with fire.
Abdul Rahmand Khan commanded his troops to kill Hazaras, burn their houses and decreed a complete elimination of Hazaras.

Thousands of Hazara women and girls were sold as slaves. A group of Hazara girls, around 40 girls, who didn’t want to end up being slaves or killed by Government forces decided to jump off a cliff and end up their lives. This group of brave women is well known among Hazaras as CHIL-DUKHTARAN (40 girls).

Hazara girls known as Chil-Dukhtaran

Abdul Rahman ended up killing over 60% of Hazara population.
The Hazara genocide created a flood of refugees to the neighboring countries. Hazaras started leave everything behind and flee for their lives to the neighboring country of Pakistan, Iran and a small number to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

Hazaras are a visible ethnic group who have been systematically marginalized and targeted for their distinct central-Asian facial features and religious beliefs.
Since the late 19th century, with the rising prominence of ethnic nationalist narratives in state and nation building efforts in Afghanistan, Hazaras distinct facial features and cultural heritage relegated them to the unfitting minority status whose existence challenged ethnic nationalistic narratives.
As the 20th century drew to a close and radical religious movements dominated Afghanistan’s political scene, Hazaras’ adherence to Shia Islam in a predominantly Sunni country further fueled the targeted violence against them.

A UN Human Rights reports summarises the extent of violence against Hazaras:
The Taliban attacks on Hazara populated regions has left several hundred casualties, and approximately 10000 displaced families.

The Taliban and ISIS have orchestrated at least 30 attacks against Hazaras in public places such as mosques, schools, educational centers, demonstration rallies, almost in all big cities of the country.
Hazaras are the victims of target killing, kidnapping, taking hostage and road blockage by the Taliban and other Islamic radical extremist networks.

By blocking and banning the routes, the Taliban controls the majority of Hazara people movement and besieges practically all Hazara resident provinces and districts and putting them in acute pressure.
Hostage taking, abduction and kidnapping of the Hazaras are highly alerting in recent years. Tens of Hazara people have been kidnapped and killed by such a way in last 5 years. The prime examples are those incidents occurred in Zabul, Ghor and Parwan province where tens of Hazaras were abducted and beheaded.

Around 1500 Hazaras including children, women and men have been killed, mostly beheaded in Zabul province (Kandi Posht area) during the Taliban regime.
Other sources consider the actual victims of Kandi Posht higher than of the earlier estimation by counting it around 3000 deaths.

Due to security deterioration and recent Taliban’s military progress in Afghanistan, Hazaras are susceptible for getting double-victimized by human traffickers and smugglers.
The recent attacks against Hazaras have not been a merely record, rather, they faced far larger ethnic cleansing in their chronicle which occurred in the dawn of the 20th Century. It ended to 60% elimination of entire Hazara population in a way to be killed, sold into slavery or forced to leave the country.