Nearly 150 years after the last local monarchy of Darwaz in the vast mountainous region of Badakhshan, Afghanistan, Mullah Juma Khan Fateh, a 40-year-old Taliban warlord, has emerged as the "Sultan of Darwaz"—a title that speaks to his brutal rule over the region’s religious minorities.
Darwaz is located along the Amu River, bordered by Tajikistan to the north and Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province to the south. Nestled in the Pamir Mountains, it was once a small independent kingdom in historical Khorasan until Emir Abdur Rahman Khan annexed it to Afghanistan in 1878.
The region’s inhabitants include Ismailis, Twelver Shia, and Sunni Muslims, who have long coexisted peacefully despite Afghanistan’s history of sectarian violence. However, with the rise of the Taliban in Darwaz, the Ismailis and Twelver Shia face increasing repression.
With the Taliban’s return to power, Juma Khan Fateh has seized control, establishing a militant network that resembles the last monarchy of Darwaz. Accompanied by heavily armed fighters, he systematically moves through villages, threatening Ismailis and Twelver Shia to abandon their "false beliefs" and convert to Sunni Islam.
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| Juma Khan Fateh |
The Absolute Ruler of Darwaz
Local Ismaili sources in Darwaz told Independent Persian that Juma Khan Fateh is widely feared and regarded as the "absolute ruler" of the region.
Fateh began expanding his influence in Darwaz in 2017, even before the collapse of Afghanistan’s republic. The Taliban's return to power cemented his dominance, allowing him to eliminate rivals through assassinations, extortion, torture, and forced submission.
Born in Shakhdara village in Nusai district of Badakhshan, Fateh was a shopkeeper before joining the Taliban.
In 2013, when Afghanistan’s former National Directorate of Security (NDS) began pursuing him for alleged ties with the Taliban, he fled to Warduj, a Taliban stronghold in Badakhshan, where he spent five years receiving ideological and military training. Upon returning to Nusai, he established control through ruthless violence against local dissenters.
During his early years as a Taliban fighter, Fateh eliminated several internal Taliban rivals competing for control over strategic areas and financial resources.
The Forced Conversion Project: From Ismaili and Shia to Sunni Islam
Since 2017, when Juma Khan Fateh consolidated power in Darwaz, which includes the districts of Kuf Ab, Khowhan, Shikai, Nusai, and Maymay, Ismailis have faced severe restrictions on religious practices.
Hussain Agha Mowafaq, a cultural activist from Nusai, told Independent Persian: "One of Fateh’s first actions was to eliminate the presence of Ismailis and Shia in Darwaz. His mission is clear: to erase Ismailism and Shia influence from the region."
According to Mowafaq, Fateh’s power increased significantly after the Taliban takeover, as he seized weapons stockpiles left behind by former government forces and local warlords, making him one of the most powerful commanders in Badakhshan.
In the last four years, Fateh has established Sunni religious schools in Ismaili-majority villages and systematically marginalized Ismaili and Twelver Shia religious leaders. He has also installed Sunni imams in local mosques to impose religious conversion.
He has told Ismailis and Twelver Shia that converting to Sunni Islam will grant them access to government jobs and economic opportunities, including work in local mines.
Control Over Gold Mines and Economic Resources
According to sources in Badakhshan, Juma Khan Fateh has monopolized economic activity in Darwaz, particularly the gold mining industry.
In Nusai district, he constructed a mosque for 3 million Afghanis, according to local media Voice of Darwaz. Reports indicate that the funding for this mosque and several religious schools, each costing between 3 to 5 million Afghanis, came from his personal wealth.
However, local sources claim his wealth comes from illegal activities, including land seizures, extortion from businesses, and illegal mining operations.
One source told Independent Persian: "In dozens of gold mining areas across Darwaz, local miners are required to pay a fixed daily fee to Juma Khan Fateh."
His brother, Musa Shahriar, oversees the financial network that collects these payments.
At Least 100 Ismailis and Shia Forced to Convert
Fateh’s bodyguards frequently publish photos of Ismaili and Twelver Shia individuals who, under pressure, have converted to Sunni Islam.
In one such photo, Fateh stands among 48 children and teenagers, with a Taliban fighter stating that these children—originally from Ismaili families—have been enrolled in the Al-Fath religious school to receive training in Hanafi jurisprudence.
According to Hussain Agha Mowafaq, at least 100 Ismailis and Twelver Shia have already been forcibly converted. He warned that if the situation continues, many more will be forced to renounce their faith to save their lives.
Mowafaq also revealed that Fateh’s associate, Mullah Juma Khan Hamdard, recently destroyed a revered Ismaili shrine in Pakhikh village, Nusai, and cut down century-old sacred trees.
He emphasized that Fateh’s primary strategy is targeting children and youth, enrolling them in newly established Sunni religious schools in Ismaili-majority villages to accelerate forced conversions.
Direct Support from Taliban Leadership
Despite being a local warlord in a remote mountainous region, Juma Khan Fateh enjoys direct backing from the Taliban’s supreme leader, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada.
In December 2024, Akhundzada appointed Fateh as the commander responsible for eradicating poppy fields and dismantling drug production facilities in Badakhshan, providing him with additional troops and resources.
This not only strengthened Fateh’s hold over Darwaz but also elevated his status within the Taliban’s leadership in Kandahar, indicating his deep connections to the group's central command.
A Systematic Religious Oppression
The forced conversion of Ismailis and Shia Muslims in Badakhshan under Juma Khan Fateh highlights the growing sectarian extremism within Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
While the Taliban claims to have granted amnesty to all Afghans, their actions in Darwaz and other regions suggest a clear pattern of systemic religious persecution.
With the Taliban’s leadership directly empowering figures like Juma Khan Fateh, the future for Afghanistan’s religious minorities appears increasingly grim.
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