DUSHANBE, February 4, Asia-Plus  -- There ought not to describe the Gharm incident as declaring civil war, Hikmatullo Sayfullozoda, a spokesman for the Islamic Revival Party (IRPT), said in an interview with Asia-Plus, commenting on an article entitled “Civil War Declared to Tajikistan” posted on website of Russia’s  Kommersant Ъ on February 4. 

The report posted on the Kommersant Ъ , in particular, said that that the government forces are making preparations for a large-scale operation to punish killers of the Tajik OMON ((Special Purpose Police Squad)) Colonel Oleg Zakharchenko.

Oleg Zakharchenko was killed and four OMON servicemen were seriously injured in the settlement of Gharm, administrative center of the Rasht district, some 220 kilometers east of Dushanbe, on Saturday under uncertain circumstances.

According to  Kommersant Ъ , the opposition assured that Colonel Zakharchenko heading a group of the OMON servicemen arrived in Gharm fro dealing shortly with former activists of the United Tajik Opposition (UTO), against whom undeclared war has started in the country.  The official Dushanbe denies these allegations as unfounded.  According to Kommersant Ъ , the government forces are making preparations for a large scale operation to punish killers of the colonel.  In Gharm, they are making preparations for defense and people in Tajikistan have begun to speak about civil war, the report posted on the Kommersant Ъ website said.         

In the meantime, Sayfullozoda said that that Mirzokhouja Ahmadov, the chief of the Rasht directorate for combating organized crime, who is suspected of having killed the Tajik OMON commander, bears no relation to the IRPT. 

“During the civil war of 1992-1997, Ahmadov was one of field commanders of medium level but after the 1997 General Peace Agreement all the UTO armed formations were disbanded or integrated into the government power-wielding structures,” said the IRPT spokesman, “The IRPT and other opposition parties now bear no responsibility for crimes committed by the former UTO supporters after 1997.”  Peace reestablished in Tajikistan is stable and no political force in the country will win from such incidents (killing of the OMON commander), Sayfullozoda said.   

            In his opinion, there ought not to make an emphasis on the fact that Ahmadov is one of former UTO supporters as some media do.