Did the Taliban deceive Uzbekistan? Uncertainty remains over the restoration of the demolished Navoi monument

Reports have emerged that, despite earlier promises, the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have yet to fulfill their pledge to rebuild the monument dedicated to Alisher Navoi in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh Province, more than two months after it was demolished. The Uzbek TV outlet, run by ethnic Uzbeks in Afghanistan, conducted an investigation into the issue.

According to the outlet, the site where the monument once stood was recently inspected to determine its current condition. Witnesses said the area where the statue had been located is now covered with green cloth. However, it remains unclear whether any construction work is taking place behind it. There is also no official information about what kind of complex is being built in memory of Navoi.

“If the Uzbek authorities do not intervene in this matter, there is a high chance that the Taliban, as usual, will delay the issue with false promises,” the report stated.

To clarify the situation, QALAMPIR.UZ contacted Ahror Burhonov, the press secretary of Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In response to questions about the progress of the construction and the possible opening date of the monument, he said:

“The monument will be built — that is certain. The issue has been agreed upon with the Afghan side, and the agreement remains in force,” Burhonov said, adding that the exact date of the opening is still unknown.

It should be recalled that earlier reports indicated the Taliban’s interim government in Afghanistan had completely demolished the statue of the great poet and thinker of the Timurid era, Alisher Navoi, in Mazar-i-Sharif. Following the demolition, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted representatives of the Taliban interim government to obtain an official explanation.

At that time, the Afghan side stated that the site where the statue had stood was “not appropriate to the scholar’s memory” and promised that a more impressive complex would soon be constructed in Navoi’s honor.

Notably, in February 2023, the same Navoi monument in Mazar-i-Sharif was partially damaged. Back then, the spokesperson of Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry, Ahror Burhonov, described the incident as “an act of vandalism” and, citing Afghan representatives, said the statue had been destroyed by unidentified individuals.