---

Tajikistan

---

More Tajikistan Official Information|

We reward each and every one of our customers for their loyalty. That's why we're offering loads of Nobel Points for every recharge (or new purchase) and also for recommending our Tajikistan - Cell phone cards to your friends.|

Although in 2002 there was little evidence that Islamic extremists were entering Tajikistan from outside, the government asserted that there were plenty of the homegrown variety operating in the northern part of the country. The international movement Hizb-ut Tahrir, which sought to create a medieval-style caliphate in the Fergana Valley, had already gained a foothold in the northern, Tajik portion of the valley and was reported to be stepping up distribution of its literature. In July, embarrassed by the fact that there were a few Tajiks among al-Qaeda supporters held in the U.S. camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Pres. Imomali Rakhmonov warned of increasing militancy in the north and accused the Islamic Renaissance Party, a partner in the governing coalition, of encouraging extremism—a charge that the head of the party hotly denied. In August Rakhmonov warned the Muslim clergy to stay out of politics because international press reports of extremism in Tajikistan were undermining efforts to attract foreign investment. Between August and October, 33 of the 152 mosques in the Isfara district in the north were reported to have been closed—Rakhmonov had asserted that there were too many of them—and a number of imams were removed from their posts.|

Tensions between Russia and Tajikistan ease after Tajik court releases Russian man and Estonian man who had been sentenced to eight years in prison for making an emergency landing in country to refuel; case infuriated Russian officials, who say they are satisfied with the men's release.|

Following in the footsteps of ancient Silk Road traders, modern day travellers come to Tajikistan to experience a magical journey across the ‘Roof of the World,’ a land of soaring mountain ranges, deep ravines and high-altitude deserts.|

In 2002 Tajikistan was able to benefit from its participation in the international antiterrorism coalition to forge closer ties with a number of countries, including the U.S., France, the U.K., China, and Iran. These states, as well as international financial institutions, promised their assistance in overcoming the legacy of widespread poverty and lagging economic development that was left by Tajikistan’s civil war in the first years of independence. In March the Asian Development Bank announced a $2.9 million program to reduce rural poverty, and later in the year the World Bank offered $26.4 million worth of credits to build a power plant in the Pamirs. Development of hydropower was high on the Tajik government’s agenda for stimulating economic growth. Not only could it be used as the basis for domestic industry, but it could also readily be exported to neighbouring countries. Consequently, Tajik officials placed special emphasis on finding foreign investors to help complete Soviet-era hydroelectric projects, in particular that at Rogun.|

But Tajikistan isn’t about the destination, it’s about the journey; a journey through history and geography, where warm a welcome awaits those intrepid enough to visit.|

Like its southern neighbour , Tajikistan has suffered consecutive years of drought and civil war which have devastated harvests and left many with slim prospects of surviving the winter.|

The arrest of a young researcher in southeastern Tajikistan portends the escalation of a local conflict the government would like to wish away.|

Two days after the Sangtuda ceremony, Uzbekistan’s state gas distributor sent a letter to its Tajik counterpart saying that unless Tajikistan immediately repaid its $1.6 million debt, Uzbekistan would have no choice but to cut off Tajikistan’s gas supplies. The upstream country relies on Uzbekistan for up to 95 percent of its gas supplies.|

The INTERPOL National Central Bureau for Tajikistan is a sub-division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Staffed by nearly 20 officials, it is the essential link between Tajik national law enforcement and INTERPOL's international law enforcement community, serving as the contact point for all INTERPOL investigations relating to Tajikistan or requiring action from Tajik police forces.|

---