Pakistan`s newspaper publishes article on Shusha occupation

The Pakistani journalist Zahida Amir published an article “Shusha - the cradle of Caucasian civilisations. 20 years of occupation” in the influential Daily National Herald Tribune and Statetimes newspapers.

Th? Armenia–Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict rages ?n f?r th? last more th?n two decades ?nd resulted w?th occupation ?f 20% ?f Azerbaijani lands, flood ?f one million refugees, ?nd killing ?f around 30 thousands Azerbaijanis.

20 years ago, ?n 8 M??, 2012 th? cradle ?f Azerbaijani culture –th? city ?f Shusha w?? occupied b? Armenian forces. Th? huge mathematical inferiority ?f th? enemy supported b? 40 tanks ?f th? Soviet Army d?d n?t scare Azerbaijanis. Hundreds ?f defenders ?f th? town ?nd civilians embraced martyrdom b?t d?d n?t step back.

Shusha ?? situated 1400-1500 meters above th? sea level. Th?r? ?r? a lot ?f mineral springs ?nd deposits ?f construction materials. Th? city w?? founded b? Panahali Khan ?n 1747 ?nd built ?? a strong castle w?th th? purpose t? defend Garabagh fr?m th? enemy attacks. Local population called th? n?w city “Panahabad” b?t later ?n ?t w?? renamed “Shishe” ?nd th?n “Shusha”. Panahali Khan ?nd later, h?? successor Ibrahim Khalil Khan reconstructed ?nd beatified Shusha using th? expertise ?f th? legendary architects ?f th? East. Throughout ?t? history Shusha w?? subject t? th? foreign invasions b?t nobody (except ?f Agha Muhammad Shah Gajar whose authority lasted f?r ?n?? one day) ????d capture th?t castle. Th? Treaties ?f Kurakchay ?f M?? 4, 1805, Gulustan ?f October 12, 1813 ?nd th? Turkmenchay ?f February 10, 1828 between Russia ?nd Persia divided Azerbaijan between th??? powers. Th? Russian Empire h?? taken th? d??????n t? shift thousands ?f Armenian families fr?m Persia ?nd Turkey t? th? newly occupied lands populated b? Muslims. On?? between 1828-1830 more th?n 40 thousands Armenians fr?m Persia ?nd 84 thousands Armenians fr?m Turkey w?r? m???d t? th? South Caucasus. Th?? w?r? settled ?n th? different ??rt? ?f Azerbaijan including Karabakh. Th? main goal ?f th?? migration program w?? t? achieve a change ?n demographic picture ?f Karabakh. Th? process ?f resettlement nonstop during th? Soviets ?? well. In 1900-1915 th? population ?f Shusha increased fr?m 25, 6 t? 43, 8 thousands ?nd ?t became th? centre ?f carpet production. Although b? th? ?nd ?f 80th ?f th? last century th? ratio ?f Armenian population ?n Nagorno-Karabakh w?? n?t ?n favour ?f Azerbaijanis, th? city ?f Shusha remained purely Azerbaijani city w?th ??m? drop ?f Armenian community. In th? beginning ?f 20th century th? Armenian nationalists raised territorial claims t? Azerbaijan. Th?? joined hands w?th Russian Bolsheviks ?nd succeeded t? grab Zangazur ?nd Iravan provinces ?f Azerbaijan. Th?? policy ?f Armenian chauvinists nonstop ?n late 80-th w?th n?w claims –Karabakh ?nd Nakhchivan regions ?f Azerbaijan. In th? XX century Shusha w?? encroached b? Armenians thrice. In 1905-1907 ?nd 1920 Shusha w?? unsuccessfully attacked b? Armenians. Ultimately, ?n 1992, ?n th??r third attempt, ?t w?? occupied. Th? occupation ?f Shusha b???n fr?m occupation ?f th? villages ?nd towns around th? city -Mesheli, Kerkijahan, Malibeyli, Gushchu ?nd Khojali. Th? genocide carried out against th? civilian population ?n th? Khojali town shocked th? world. Around one thousand people w?r? killed w?th medieval brutality, th? dead bodies w?r? mutilated. Nobody could believe ?n occupation ?f Shusha, ?t w?? difficult even t? imagine th?t. B?t ?t happened ?nd th? city w?? occupied b? Armenians ?nd Russia ?n M?? 8, 1992 wh?t h?? shaken ?nd deeply shocked people ?f Azerbaijan. Th? valuable wealth ?f Shusha museums, paintings ?nd sculpture works, carpets, archeological findings, historical documents ?nd ?th?r precious materials h?d b??n taken t? Armenia. Th?? h??? b??n sold ?n foreign auctions ?r introduced ?n different exhibitions ?nd museums ?? ?n Armenian legacy.

Th? palace ?f Panaheli Khan, Th? Juma Mosque, Lower Govhar Aga Mosque, th? household ?f Khurshudbanu Natavan, th? tomb ?f Moullana Panah Vagif ?n? many ?th?r historic monuments w?r? demolished, museums, libraries w?r? burnt down, statues w?r? shot down ?? ?f th?? w?r? human beings. Th? very ??d cultural center ?f th? Caucasus became th? victim ?f th? Armenian vandalism.

A? th? time passes, Shusha ?nd ?th?r occupied lands around, th?t ?r? under control ?f th? Armenian aggressors, ?r? subject t? ruthless exploitation ?nd destruction. Armenians ?r? using th??? territories f?r illegal arms ?n? drugs trafficking. A? a result, th? occupied lands represent a threat n?t ?n?? f?r th? country itself b?t f?r a th? region ?n generous.

Though Shusha ?? n? under th? temporarily occupation, m??t ?f th? cultural ?nd educational centers wh??h w?r? ?n Shusha carry ?n th??r activity ?n Baku ?r ?th?r regions. 20 years has passed th?t th? city ?f Shusha ?nd entire Nagorno-Karabakh region ?? under th? occupation ?f th? Armenian military. Th? negotiations aimed ?t th? peaceful resolution ?f Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh conflict under th? patronage ?f th? OSCE Minsk Group produced n? result ?? far.

On 01 M??, 2012 th? Parliament ?f Azerbaijan appealed t? th? European Parliament, Parliamentary Assembly ?f European Council, all Parliaments ?f th? world ?n th? occasion ?f 20th anniversary ?f th? occupation ?f Shusha. “….W? expect th?t th? international community will demonstrate a strong will ?nd decisive stand t? remove th? hotbed ?f th? conflict, wh??h ?? a threat t? concord ?nd stability ?n South Caucasus ?nd throughout Europe, ?nd urge Armenia t? ?nd th? occupation policy,” th? statement ????.


/AzerTAc/