Hazaras account for up to 15% of Afghanistan's population of 30 million
Demonstrators from Afghanistan's Hazara minority attend a protest in Kabul on Monday. (Ahmad Masood/Reuters)
Authorities locked down Afghanistan's capital Monday as tens of thousands of ethnic Hazaras marched through the streets calling on the government to reroute a power line through their poverty-stricken province in a massive protest that reflected public dismay with the government of President Ashraf Ghani.
Amid concerns the protest could turn violent, roads leading into central Kabul's commercial district were blocked to all vehicle and foot traffic by police, who shipping containers to prevent the marchers reaching the presidential palace.
Most of the city's shops were shuttered and armed police units took up positions around the city. Authorities told protest organizers that the march would be confined to a specific route that would not take them near the presidential palace. A November demonstration that followed the beheading of a number of Hazaras by insurgents turned violent.
The backing of other ethnic groups for the protest highlighted the political crisis facing Afghanistan....Continue Reading.....
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