DUSHANBE, October 14, 2008, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan has reached 20 percent of the autumn conscription campaign, which was launch on October 1 and runs through November, according to Ministry of Defense (MoD).
The source at a MoD said that Sughd’s Zafarobod district was the first in the country to fulfill the autumn conscription target.
During the spring conscription campaign, more than 8,000 young men were conscripted. However, low results of the conscription campaign were to be observed in all regions, especially in Gorno Badakhshan, and the spring conscription that usually ends on May 31 was extended till June 15.
According to the republican military recruitment office, to avoid serving in the army, many conscript-age young men sought migrant work in Russia. The other reason for shortage of conscripts in the spring was inrush of internal migrants to Dushanbe. “The capital was practically filled with young men from different regions of the country,” said the source. “Many young men aged18 to 30 arrived here in search of a living. The majority of them does not work or study anywhere, deteriorating the crime situation in the city.” Moreover, many conscription-age men have been found unfit for military service, the source said.
He also pointed to the necessity of improving the countries conscription legislation. “Under the present conscription law, practically 80 percent of conscription-age men have the right to have deferment of military service,” said the source, “12 other percent are not fit for military service and some eight percent of the conscription-age men seek migrant work in the Russian Federation.”
According to him, of the total number of young men eligible for military service, some 40-50 percent has been found unfit for military service for health reason. “However, they do not undergo the recommended medical treatment and they are found unfit for military service by the next conscription campaign again. This situation evokes serious concern but we do not have mechanism of compulsory treatment in such cases.”
We will recall that 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.
