Juma Khan Hamdard
Encyclopedia
Juma Khan Hamdard is the current governor of Paktia Province
, Afghanistan. He formerly served as governor of Baghlan and later Jowzjan
.
of the Wardak tribe from Mazari Sharif, was born in 1954 in Balkh Province
in northern Afghanistan. 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, he allied with Abdul Rashid Dostum
, an ethnic Uzbek
, against the Talibans. In 1997, he defected to the Taliban's side and helped them defeat Dostum's forces in 1997/98 in an extremely bloody campaign.
Following the US-led coalition's invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, Hamdard resumed a weak alliance with Dostum's forces, but on the eve of the presidential election in October 2004, he pledged support to Karzai
. He was then made governor of the northern province of Baghlan, and later Jowzjan, Dostum's power base in the ethnic Uzbek heartland. In May 2007 forces under his command shot at demonstrators asking his dismissal in the town of Sheberghan
, killing 13 and injuring more than 30. On December 17, 2007 he was appointed governor of the eastern Paktia Province, replacing Rahmatullah Rahmat
. Hamdard is also one of President Karzai's tribal affairs advisors.
According to the US embassy cables leaked by WikiLeaks
in December 2010, American officials report, that Hamdard is suspected of corruption involving U.S. funds and actively undermining Afghan government counter-insurgency policy. He is thought to be at the head of a province-wide corruption scheme, soliciting bribes from contractors "at four stages of a project: when contractors bid on a project, at application for building permits, during construction [by having them arrested at job sites and held until the bribes are paid], and at the ribbon-cutting ceremony". He is also suspected of being an active member of Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin
(HIG) in Balkh Province, funneling money he received from bribes and smuggling (drugs and jewels) to HIG operations in his home province of Balkh, and of having illicit contacts with insurgents in Parwan, Kunar
, and Kabul
provinces, as well as Pakistan
i intelligence (ISI) and Iran
ian operatives through his business in Dubai
, where Gulbaddin Hekmatyr's son is believed to be his business partner.
Paktia Province
Paktia , is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, in the east of the country. Its capital is Gardez. The population is predominantly Pashtun.- History:...
, Afghanistan. He formerly served as governor of Baghlan and later Jowzjan
Jowzjan Province
Jowzjān or Jōzjān or Jawzjan is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country. Its capital is Sheberghan.- Demographics :...
.
Biography
Juma Khan Hamdard, an ethnic PashtunPashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
of the Wardak tribe from Mazari Sharif, was born in 1954 in Balkh Province
Balkh Province
Balkh is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country and its name derives from the ancient city of Balkh, near the modern town...
in northern Afghanistan. A popular leader of the Pashtun community of Balkh and Mazar-i-Sharif, Hamdard was a member of Hezbi Islami
Hezbi Islami
Hezbi Islami , meaning Islamic Party is an Islamist organization commonly known for fighting in the Marxist Government of Afghanistan and their close ally the Soviet Union. Founded and led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, it was established in Pakistan in 1975...
and fought against the Soviets under the leadership of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is an Afghan Mujahideen leader who is the founder and leader of the Hezb-e Islami political party and paramilitary group. Hekmatyar was a rebel military commander during the 1980s Soviet war in Afghanistan and was one of the key figures in the civil war that followed the...
. In 1994, he allied with Abdul Rashid Dostum
Abdul Rashid Dostum
Abdul Rashid Dostum is a former pro-Soviet fighter during the Soviet war in Afghanistan and is considered by many to be the leader of Afghanistan's Uzbek community and the party Junbish-e Milli-yi Islami-yi Afghanistan...
, an ethnic Uzbek
Uzbeks
The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China...
, against the Talibans. In 1997, he defected to the Taliban's side and helped them defeat Dostum's forces in 1997/98 in an extremely bloody campaign.
Following the US-led coalition's invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, Hamdard resumed a weak alliance with Dostum's forces, but on the eve of the presidential election in October 2004, he pledged support to Karzai
Karzai
Karzai may refer to:*Abdul Ahad Karzai, father of Hamid Karzai*Ahmed Wali Karzai, half-brother of Hamid Karzai*Habibullah Karzai, uncle of Hamid Karzai*Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan*Hekmat Karzai, cousin of Hamid Karzai...
. He was then made governor of the northern province of Baghlan, and later Jowzjan, Dostum's power base in the ethnic Uzbek heartland. In May 2007 forces under his command shot at demonstrators asking his dismissal in the town of Sheberghan
Sheberghan
Sheberghān or Shaburghān , also spelled Shebirghan and Shibarghan, is the capital city of the Jowzjan Province in northern Afghanistan.-Location:...
, killing 13 and injuring more than 30. On December 17, 2007 he was appointed governor of the eastern Paktia Province, replacing Rahmatullah Rahmat
Rahmatullah Rahmat
Rahmatullah Rahmat is an Afghan politician. He served as the Governor of Paktia province, Afghanistan from 2006 to 2007. He was appointed to the position after the assassination of Hakim Taniwal. Rahmat was previously an official of the UNAMA mission in the east of the country.-References:...
. Hamdard is also one of President Karzai's tribal affairs advisors.
According to the US embassy cables leaked by WikiLeaks
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
in December 2010, American officials report, that Hamdard is suspected of corruption involving U.S. funds and actively undermining Afghan government counter-insurgency policy. He is thought to be at the head of a province-wide corruption scheme, soliciting bribes from contractors "at four stages of a project: when contractors bid on a project, at application for building permits, during construction [by having them arrested at job sites and held until the bribes are paid], and at the ribbon-cutting ceremony". He is also suspected of being an active member of Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin
Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin
The Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin is an Afghan islamist political party.The original Hezb-e-Islami was founded in 1977 by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar who is now the head of HIG. The other faction is headed by Mulavi Younas Khalis who split with Hekmatyar and established his own Hezbi Islami in 1979...
(HIG) in Balkh Province, funneling money he received from bribes and smuggling (drugs and jewels) to HIG operations in his home province of Balkh, and of having illicit contacts with insurgents in Parwan, Kunar
Kunar
Kunar may refer to:*Kunar Valley, Afghanistan and Pakistan*Kunar Province, Afghanistan*Kunar River, Afghanistan and Pakistan...
, and Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
provinces, as well as Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i intelligence (ISI) and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian operatives through his business in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, where Gulbaddin Hekmatyr's son is believed to be his business partner.
External links
- “Rise in Violence in North Shows Afghanistan’s Fragility”. The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, May 29, 2007 - “Dostum: Afghanistan’s Embattled Warlord”. The Jamestown FoundationThe Jamestown FoundationThe Jamestown Foundation is a Washington, D.C.-based institute for research and analysis, founded in 1984 as a platform to support Soviet dissidents. Today its stated mission is to "inform and educate" policy makers about events and trends, which it regards as being of current "strategic"...
, 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”. DemotixDemotixDemotix is a citizen journalism website and photo agency. It enables freelance journalists and amateurs to share their user-generated content and photojournalism, and license them to clients including mainstream media organisations, charities, and stock image buyers.The website was launched in...
.com, November 15, 2009 - “The North on the Brink”. Afghanistan Votes.com, June 15, 2010