DUSHANBE, August 19, 2011, Asia-Plus - The Murgab Regional court of GBAO sentenced Berdiqul Valadi Fozil, resident of one of Afghan villages in Small Pamir to two years in prison.

According to Batir Khidirov, the judge of the Murgab regional court, this Afghan citizen of Kyrgyz origin was jailed for illegal cross of Tajik-Afghan border, but the court also took into account related extenuating circumstances.

The accused man testified that he crossed the border in search of a job in Murgab region to earn money for marriage (to pay traditional ransom for the bribe).

Azimsho Bakhronov, Agriculture Expert from the Aga Khan Foundation in Afghanistan, said that remoteness and lack of access to medical services are main problems in Small Pamir which often cause child mortality, which is especially high for girls.

Therefore, the number of women in Afghan part of the Small Pamir is very low and, according to citizens of Murgab, grooms have to pay a huge ransom for brides – hundreds of sheep, yaks and several camels. That’s why many men from poor families have nothing to do but dream of their own family. This is not the first case when migrants from Afghanistan cross the border in search of a job.

At the same time, residents of Murgab region claim that in the past years the number of labor migrants from Murgab region who travel to Russia in search of job has significantly increased. Meanwhile, residents of Afghan part of the Small Pamir look at Murgab region just like residents of Murgab look at Russia. Knowing nothing about economic opportunities of Murgab region, citizens of Afghanistan cross the border in search of a job and earn money.

According to Murgab Administration, not only drug traffickers cross the border, but in some cases, people cross the border to settle their social problems.