Who are Hazara Muslims in Afghanistan and why do they fear Taliban?

There are about 38-40 lakh Hazaras estimated to be living in Afghanistan. This makes them form about 10-12 per cent of Afghanistan’s 3.8 crore population.

Hazaras consider themselves the descendants of great medieval-age Mongolian emperor Genghis Khan (better known in India as Changez Khan), whose army overran China, Central Asia and Afghanistan in the 13th century. During their rule in the 1990s, the Taliban had declared Hazaras as non-Muslims (or kafirs) and ordered their massacre. This time around, the Taliban have announced that they would not discriminate against those differing from their religious views to the extent they follow the Sharia law now imposed in Afghanistan’s territories under their control.