Monitoring Desk: While the Taliban are encircling Punjshir Valley to fight with the son of the late Ahmad Shah Massoud, the President of Tajikistan has announced the highest award for Ahmad Shah Massoud. It may be remembered that Tajikistan provided a runaway to former President Ashraf Ghani who fled to Tajikistan on August 15, 2021, and then reached Dubai.
Russian language Radio Azadi has reported that on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of state independence of the Republic of Tajikistan, the President Emomali Rahmon has announced on Thursday, to honour the “the Lion of Panjshir” Ahmad Shah Massoud and former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani with the “Ismoili Somoni of the one degree”- the country’s highest award.
The President first order says, “In honour of the 30th anniversary of state independence of the Republic of Tajikistan, the former Minister of Defence of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, National Hero of Afghanistan Ahmad Shah Massoud and the former President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Burhanuddin Rabbani were awarded the Order of Ismoili Somoni for assistance and mediation in the negotiations between Tajiks in 1993-1996 and the great contribution to peace, the Order “Ismoili Somoni” Level I “to be awarded.”
The Tajik authorities awarded the Order of Ismoili Somoni twenty years after the assassination of Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was defense minister in 1992-1996. The award was also awarded posthumously to former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani.
The awards ceremony for two prominent Afghan personalities comes as Taliban declared full control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021. Afghanistan’s Panjshir region has become the largest point of resistance to the Taliban to date. Panjshir is located north of Kabul, the vast majority of the region’s inhabitants are Tajiks. This is one of the last territories in the country that is not under the control of the Taliban.
