Between the dreams of perestroika and real life: Soviet of people's deputies of Kuhistoni Badakhshon in 1989-1991

The paper examines the history of the Soviet of People’s Deputies of a unique region of the USSR during the late Perestroika period (1989-1991). The research object is the Kuhistoni Badakhshon Autonomous Region (GBAO) of Tajikistan. The subject being analyzed is the process of searching for the solutions of the main local problems by the representative executive body of the Soviet Pamirs amid the political and economic crisis accompanying the USSR dissolution. The core sources for the study comprised the documents from the State Archive of GBAO (the town of Khorugh). These unpublished documents reflected the activities of the Regional Soviet of People’s Deputies, the Executive Committee of GBAO, the Supreme Soviet of Tajikistan and its Presidium. The data from national and regional press was also examined, which helped to reconstruct the features of the autonomous region’s decline, as well as the key aspects in its search for new prospects. The author concludes that Perestroika and the dissolution of the USSR eliminated the system of supporting socioeconomic living standards faster than modest beneficial effects of liberalization could be felt. Delusive hope for the direct funding by Moscow turned into the conflict with Dushanbe. Dreams of international cooperation in the use of the Pamirs’ environmental assets fell apart with the decline of all local industries and dissipation of resources. Social tension and public outrage also contributed to crisis. Religious revival and the first contacts with Aga-Khan IV were the exceptional cases.