Juma Khan Hamdard
Juma Khan Hamdard (Pashto: جمعه خان همدرد) is an Afghan politician. He serves as the security adviser to President Ashraf Ghani.[1] He served as governor of Paktia Province, Afghanistan and as governor of Baghlan and later Jowzjan.
Juma Khan Hamdard جمعه خان همدرد | |
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Juma Khan Hamdard of Afghanistan | |
Governor of Paktia, Afghanistan | |
In office 17 December 2007 – 2 April 2015 | |
Preceded by | Rahmatullah Rahmat |
Succeeded by | Nasratullah Arsala |
Governor of Jowzjan, Afghanistan | |
In office September 2006 – 2007 | |
Preceded by | Roz Mohammad Nur |
Succeeded by | Mohammad Hashim Zare |
Governor of Baghlan, Afghanistan | |
In office 4 February 2005 – 4 September 2005 | |
Preceded by | ? |
Succeeded by | Mohammad Alam Rasekh |
Personal details | |
Born | 1959 Balkh Province, Afghanistan |
Political party | Hezbi Islami |
Children | Gul Rahman,Mohammad Gul,Javid,Bashir,Abdullah and Obaidullah |
Early life
Hamdard is an ethnic Pashtun of the Wardak tribe from Mazari Sharif. He was born in 1959 in Balkh Province.[2]
Career
He became a popular leader of the Pashtun community of Balkh and Mazar-i-Sharif. Hamdard was a member of Hezbi Islami and fought against the Soviets under the leadership of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. In 1994, his Party Hezbi Islami allied with Abdul Rashid Dostum, an ethnic Uzbek, against the Shura-e Nazar. In 1997, he helped the Taliban's side against Dostum's forces in a bloody campaign.
Following the US-led coalition's invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, Hamdard resumed a weak alliance with Dostum's forces. On the eve of the presidential election in October 2004, he pledged support to Karzai. He became governor of Baghlan, and later Jowzjan,
Dostum's power base was in the ethnic Uzbek heartland. His Uzbek supporters did not want an ethnic Pashtun as Governor. In May 2007 police forces under governor Juma khan Hamdard shot at militant Uzbek demonstrators, while they were trying to force their way into the Governor's office in Sheberghan, killing 13 and injuring more than 30. On December 17, 2007 he was appointed governor of Paktia Province, replacing Rahmatullah Rahmat.[2] Hamdard is one of President Karzai's tribal affairs advisors.
Juma Khan Hamdard is an important personality of northern Afghanistan. He has played a pivotal role in safeguarding the interests of the Pashtuns. He enjoys a mass based of support among the Pashtun settlers in the Northern Afghanistan. He was a military commander and politician. Since the fall of the communist regime in 1992, he has trod a very cautious approach in protecting the interests of Pashtuns in Northern Afghanistan in the wake of rising anti-Pashtun sentiments.
He had escaped an assassination attempt in May 2007 in Jowzjan Province in which his driver and bodyguard were killed. He survived another assassination attempt in the provincial capital, Gardez, on his way back from a poetry session
Personal life
He has six sons,the eldest son Gul Rahman Hamdard is a member of the parliament.
References
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-06-12. Retrieved 2015-06-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Province: “Paktya”. Naval Postgraduate School, Program for Culture & Conflict Studies
External links
- “Dostum: Afghanistan’s Embattled Warlord”. The Jamestown Foundation, April 18, 2008
- “Reconstruction Team Serves on Front Line of War on Terror”. American Forces Press Service, February 10, 2009
- “Balkh Power Struggle Leaves Locals Fearful”. UNHCR, Institute for War and Peace, September 29, 2009
- “Govenor [sic] of Paktia, Juma Khan Hamdard”. Demotix.com, November 15, 2009
- “The North on the Brink”. Afghanistan Votes.com, June 15, 2010
Preceded by Rahmatullah Rahmat |
Governor of Paktia, Afghanistan 2007–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
Preceded by Roz Mohammad Nur |
Governor of Jowzjan, Afghanistan 2006–2007 |
Succeeded by Mohammad Hashim Zare |
Preceded by ? |
Governor of Baghlan, Afghanistan 2005 |
Succeeded by Mohammad Alam Rasekh |
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