DUSHANBE, July 28, 2012, Asia-Plus -- A prominent Tajik politician and religious figure, Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda, condemns the murder of the General Abdullo Nazarov, but he is against carrying out a special operation for detention of four criminals.

“Of course, the murderers must be detained and punished,” said Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda.  “But the government forces need not have started a large-scale military operation in Khorog for detention of four criminals.  The most important thing that attitude of residents of Gorno Badakhshan towards the government may change.  We speak a lot about peace and accord, but it is impossible to reestablish unity by such methods.”

“I do not agree with such methods of fight against the criminal grouping.  The names of those four involved in the murder of General Abdullo Nazarov are known, because Nazarov’s bodyguards know who attacked them, and the law enforcement authorities could detain them in two or three weeks.”

Turajonzoda noted that police should be engaged in searching and detaining murderers but not the army.  “This step [military operation] should have been taken only in the extreme case, but the government forces launched at once the special operation in the densely populated city,” said Turajonzoda.  “I condemn this, this is illegal.  I do not know what for they conducted the act of intimidation.”

He also noted that it was not right to carry out the special operation during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.  “It means that important Islamic events such as the month of Ramadan do not hold an important position in life,” Turajonzoda added.