Shodi Shabdolov led the Communist Party of Tajikistan for nearly 25 years and was elected to the country's parliament four times.  He was considered one of the few active politicians and parliamentarians in Tajikistan who always openly and boldly expressed his position on important issues. In 2016, he retired from politics.

Exactly one year ago, on October 19, 2023, his heart stopped beating...  It happened just two days after his 80th birthday, during which, despite recovering from surgery, Shabdolov gave an interview to Asia-Plus and shared the main milestones of his life. We present it in full on the anniversary of the politician's passing.

Q. You were born and raised in an intellectual family. Did this influence your sense of responsibility in your studies and behavior?

A. Undoubtedly.  I felt responsible not only to my parents, who were true teachers, but also to my relatives and society. My mother helped me with homework, and my father, being a math teacher, assisted me in studying the exact sciences and kept an eye on my education.  As a result, no complaints were ever made about my behavior, and I graduated from school with excellent marks.

Contributing to the training of specialists

Q. After school, you entered the Polytechnic Institute. Why did you choose the exact sciences?

A. I actually wanted to become an architect. In the 1960s, entrance exams for higher education institutions in the republic for those living in Khorog were held locally.  I applied to the Polytechnic Institute, passed the exams successfully, and during a conversation with one of the institute’s representatives, he asked which department I would like to enroll in.  I said architecture.  He praised my choice but pointed out that Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) needed energy specialists more.  Without energy sources, not only industry but also construction couldn’t develop.  So, following his advice, I enrolled in the energy department.

Q. You graduated as an electrical-mechanical engineer and began teaching at an energy college in QurghonTeppa.  Was that your choice or an assignment from the institute's administration?

A. It was both. At that time, there were very few local specialists in the energy sector. I wanted to contribute to the training of local specialists.  I worked productively at the college for two years, and in 1967, I was called up for military service. After that, I returned to teaching at the college.
A few months later, at the request of the executive committee of the GBAO Council of People's Deputies, I was invited to take up the position of chief engineer of the region’s electric networks.

Q. What exactly did you do in this position?

A. In the late 1960s, small hydropower plants were built in Darvoz, Vanj, Rushan, and Murgab districts.  As the chief engineer of the region’s electrical networks, I oversaw the construction of power transmission lines, the Khorog hydropower plant and Namadgud hydropower plant (in Ishkashim district), and assisted and advised the builders.  Thanks to the builders' efforts, we fully commissioned the Khorog and Namadgud hydropower plants.  By 1974, the generated power was available to consumers.
In addition, we installed diesel-powered electric networks in several settlements. This ensured that most remote villages in the region were provided with electricity.

Party work

Q. In 1974, you moved into party work.  Why?

A. In 1970, at the insistence of my school teacher, who was then the First Secretary of the Communist Party Committee of Khorog, Askarsho Afzalshoyev, I was accepted into the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.  Later, on the proposal of the First Secretary of the Regional Committee, Khushqadam Davlatqadamov, and by decision of the Bureau, I was appointed to head the Industry and Transport Department of the GBAO Regional Communist Party Committee.

With the commissioning of small power plants in the region, industrial enterprises were rapidly being built.  The department oversaw the construction and commissioning of industrial and socio-cultural facilities.
If I were to recount the construction process in detail, it would fill many pages. The result of our work was that the region's industry grew each year.

Q. How and why did you go to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan?

A. It was only two years after the April Revolution in Afghanistan. I was sent to that country as the Senior Advisor to the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan.  Why me?  Because I had good organizational and party work experience, as well as knowledge of the language and customs of that country’s people.  My task, in coordination with the representatives of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU Central Committee), was to provide instructions to party members on improving the political, economic, and social situation in the country.  To some extent, we managed to establish a system for party work. How they received and implemented our instructions is another matter.

Q. After returning home, you worked as Deputy Head of the Industry Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Tajikistan, and later you were elected the First Secretary of Khorog Communist Party Committee.  What was the economic and social situation of the city after 9 years?

A. Until the mid-1980s, the city's economic and social situation was stable. Industrial enterprises operated smoothly. The city party committee was also responsible for overseeing the economic state of the Shugnan district, which included the Roshtqala district at that time.  Work in agriculture, livestock, and other fields was satisfactory.

However, with Gorbachev's announcement of perestroika, the economic and social situation began to deteriorate in the city, the region, and the country as a whole.  Despite all the problems, the party committee, with the support of the city's and district's residents, maintained stability.  Given the lack of electricity and the construction of relatively large industrial enterprises in the region, the construction of the Pamir-1 hydropower plant in the village of Tang in Shugnan district began.  This plant was the first of a series of hydropower plants planned to be built on the Ghund River.  Until the end of my tenure, much work was done on its construction, and it was supposed to be commissioned in 1990.  However, due to the worsening economic situation, the first unit of the plant was introduced into operation only in 1994.

The Communist Party of Tajikistan

Q. In the difficult times of the 1990s, you joined the Tajik Communist Party leadership and later you headed the party.  What was the work like during this time, and how did you manage to make the party a functioning political force again?

A. The events of August 1991, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Communist Party, significantly complicated the situation in newly independent Tajikistan.  Despite threats and obstacles, our Communist Party decided at an extraordinary congress to leave the CPSU, approve a charter, and adopt other documents for the independent Communist Party of Tajikistan.  These actions caused threats to the party's activities, and the issue was even discussed in the Supreme Council of Tajikistan.  Despite the dangers, violence, and assassination attempts against communists, the congress took place.  On October 2, 1991, the Supreme Council session, where nearly 90 percent of representatives were communists, decided to suspend the activities of the Communist Party of Tajikistan until December that year.  Despite the difficult situation, even after several communists were killed, we managed to hold the second round of the congress on January 18-19, 1992.  Delegates restored the party's original name, the Communist Party of Tajikistan, and elected me as its leader.

The party tried to stabilize the country's political situation, which had already escalated into an armed conflict. At the 23rd congress, after analyzing the country’s political situation, we adopted a new party program and charter.

In subsequent years, the Communist Party cooperated with the government and the President of Tajikistan to fight terrorism, extremism, tribalism, nationalism, religious extremism, and smuggling.  However, in early 1997, all of the party’s assets were confiscated.  Despite our dire financial situation, we actively participated in political campaigns and contributed to securing peace in the country.
Following the decisions of the 24th and 25th congresses, the party participated in presidential elections, parliamentary elections, and local councils, securing mandates.

‘I served the people as much as I could.’

Q. What principles guided you during your work in parliament?

A. The activities of the communist group in the parliament were united and cohesive.  We impartially, objectively, and fairly discussed all political, economic, and social issues.  We analyzed laws to ensure they complied with universal legal standards and even initiated legislation ourselves.  Many laws adopted met international standards. If we adhere to and implement them impartially and fairly, Tajikistan’s economic development will be ensured.

Q. What is your main life principle as a person?

A.  Again, it is impartiality, objectivity, and fairness. I never changed my position under any circumstances.  Through my party activities, work as a deputy, and my knowledge and capabilities, I served the people as much as I could.  I am grateful that I can now enjoy my old age in the family circle with my beloved wife, children, and grandchildren.