By Sabah Aslam
The early part of 20th century witnessed
the collapse of the Russian Empire. This big fall of Russian Revolution 1917
led to chaos and unrest in all parts of the state including Azerbaijan. Hence
under the slogan of ‘struggle against the counter-revolutionaries’ in March
1918, the Baku Commune of Armenians and Bolsheviks decided to completely
eliminate the ethnical Azerbaijanis. Thus, the Armenians acted atrociously and
killed thousands of innocent Muslims. That throbbing history is imprinted on
the memory of the Azerbaijanis forever and it has left indelible marks on the
history pages to give Azerbaijan a real boost to rise against all the odds and
prove its substance, subsequently, it is beaming today with multidimensional
colors of success and glory amongst the comity of nations. It was an
opportunity availed in time and today that all Azerbaijanis hold the flag of
grace for the generations to come and follow the footprints of this venerable legacy.
Coming back to the history, the only
option for Azerbaijanis to stop that violence against them was to establish
their own very State. So, the Muslim National Council held its opening sitting
in Tiflis (presently Tbilisi, Georgia) on May 28, 1918, and adopted the
Declaration on Independence. And
subsequently the establishment of an independent Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
(ADR) in south and southeast Transcaucasia was announced. The 1918 declaration
became the first Constitutional Act in the history of Azerbaijan and affirmed
Azerbaijani statehood in the form a Democratic Republic. On June 16, the
National Council and the cabinet of the ADR got relocated to Ganja – the second
biggest city of Azerbaijan. The primary goal of the government was to liberate
Baku and the other cities of Azerbaijan, which were under occupation of
Armenians and Bolsheviks after the March 1918 genocide.
The mission was carried out by the newly
established Caucasus Army of Islam - united Azerbaijani and Turkish forces.
Afterwards, twenty thousand Baku Soviet troops launched an all-out attack on
Ganja. The Islamic Army entered a fierce battle with them. The Soviets were
defeated and the Islamic Army advanced toward Baku and got it liberated on
September 15, 1918. Over a thousand of Muslim officers and soldiers laid down
their lives in the Baku battle. The losses of the enemy were huge.
The capital of ADR shifted from Ganja to
Baku and on November 16, 1918, the Azerbaijan National Council resumed its
function. On December 7, 1918, the first session of Azerbaijani parliament took
place. That was the first parliament formed on the utmost democratic principles
of that time in the entire Muslim East. Not only a true form of multi-party
republican government was created, but also extended the suffrage (right to
vote) to all persons, irrespective of ethnicity, religion or gender. ADR was the first country in the entire
Muslim world to give voting rights to women, even ahead of such advanced western
democracies like the United States and the United Kingdom. It also guaranteed
freedom of expression, assembly and religion, among many other liberties to the
citizens of Azerbaijan.
The Supreme Council of the Paris Peace
Conference on January 11, 1920 unanimously resolved to recognize de facto
independence of Azerbaijan. Despite the lack of any previous experience in
statecraft, the leadership of the ADR managed to form a well-operated state
machine, establishing relations with more than twenty countries of the world,
including Turkey, UK, USA, Italy, France Belgium, Holland, Greece, Denmark,
etc. The Government adopted a national flag with white crescent and
eight-pointed star with a three-stripe background. On June 26, the Government
enacted the establishment of Azerbaijan Armed Forces. The process of army build
up was completed by January 30 to include 30,000 of infantry and 10,000 of
cavalry troops.
Functioning economy and independent
financial system started to evolve. Educational reforms began, the Baku State
University was founded; roughly half of the schools switched to use Azerbaijani
language, which became a compulsory subject; hundreds of young students
received scholarships to study in leading European universities. Preparations
for constitution, development of comprehensive doctrine of national state
building, and the criminal code with guarantees of universal rights and
freedoms were under way. Bilateral formal relations were established with a
number of foreign states and independent foreign policy reflecting the national
interests of Azerbaijan was formulated and pursued. The Government established
an extraordinary investigation commission to scrutinize the acts of genocide of
Azerbaijanis by Armenians, adopted the official state symbols and regulation on
Azerbaijani citizenship. The separation of legislative, executive and judicial
powers was also confirmed. The establishment of Chamber of Appeals and
Intelligence department became the vital pillar of the state-building process.
The Baku-Batum oil pipeline was restored in 1919; the government issued a
decree on free trade and gave a rebirth to the merchant fleet. The Caspian
fleet of Azerbaijan was established in summer of 1919 as well.
The ADR fell under the military attack of
Soviet Russia on 28 April, 1920. The resistance movement of Azerbaijani people
was squashed. All government institutions of Azerbaijan were abolished. The
independence of Azerbaijan was restored only after 71 years. The tri-colored
flag with a white crescent and eight-pointed star of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
rose again.
Today, Azerbaijan is witnessing a rapid
and dynamic development that is comparable with developed countries of the
world. Rich of hydrocarbon reserves, the country exports them to Europe
consequently taking part in ensuring of its energy security. Having taken advantage of its
geographical location, Azerbaijan became not only a main point
for transportation of crude and
gas to Turkey and Europe via diverse
pipe-line net, but a transport corridor linking East with West as well. A country with nine and a half million
population has become a leading power in Transcaucasia and a main regional
investor, financing multi-billion projects in different countries of the world.
The economic growth of Azerbaijan goes accompanied by enormous construction
boom, development of the industry, infrastructure, agriculture, sports, and
tourism.
Azerbaijan carries on a balanced foreign
policy, based on the interests of the country. Situated on the geographical
border of Europe and Asia, Azerbaijan is integrated in the political structures
of both continents. Being a member of the Council of Europe and the OSCE,
Azerbaijan plays an active role in the OIC, ECO. It is also a member of
Non-Aligned Movement, and last year completed its tenure as a non-permanent
member of UN Security Council.
Pakistan and Azerbaijan enjoy close and
cordial relations characterized by shared perception on major global and
regional issues. The two countries
signed number of agreements to provide a framework for bilateral cooperation in
all spheres including economy, trade, finance, information, culture and
military fields. Both countries closely cooperate in international forum and
support each other on their core issues.
The
writer is Executive Director of the Islamabad Institute of Conflict Resolution.
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