Tajik President Emomali Rahmon yesterday signed a decree on drafting young Tajiks into the country’s armed forces from October through November 2017, the Tajik president’s official website reports.
The draft affects able-bodied male citizens in the age bracket of 18 years old to 27 years old, who are not members of the armed forces reserve.
The same decree provides for the retirement from active duty of soldiers and sergeants whose service under conscription is over.
The Ministry of Health is tasked to provide specialists from medical facilities of Dushanbe to make medical examination of conscripts for the districts subordinate to the center.
Heads of cities and districts are responsible for organization of the conscription campaign, the website says.
According to the Ministry of Defense (MoD), every year, some 15,000-16,000 young Tajik men are drafted into the country’s armed forces. The two-month-long effort seeking to enlist young men aged 18-27 for the two-year compulsory military service takes place twice a year, in the spring and in the autumn.
Some sources say more than 600,000 young men in Tajikistan are eligible for military service, but some 150,000 of them have received draft deferments or are exempted from the military service and some 100,000 other conscript-age young Tajiks are outside the country in search of a living.
Young Tajiks can avoid or postpone military service if they are ill, studying at university, an only son, or if they have two children.
Meanwhile, amendments have been made to the country’s law on military service this year. The amendments came into effect on February 4 and young men in Tajikistan who wish to forgo the military service may now do so by paying a fee equivalent to 420 estimates (current estimate amounts to 60.00 somonis) to the government.
Recall, while presenting parliament with the draft bill on the conscription opt-out fee, Defense Minister Sherali Mirzo noted on January 20 that only 10 percent of eligible young people are enlisted to do military service each year.
According to him, a one-month basic reserve service will be organized for those who did not perform conscript service for a fee. “At the end of basic reserve service they will receive military cards,” the defense minister said.
Besides, under the law on the universal military duty in new edition, graduates of universities having military department will also be drafted into the army for one year.
Only people who have done military service will be permitted to obtain employment with the government or join the army in a professional capacity.
Tajikistan’s armed forces consist of Ground Forces, Mobile Forces (paratroopers of the armed forces of Tajikistan), Air Force and Air Defense Force.
