Mirwais Yasini
Encyclopedia
Mirwais Yasini is the current First Deputy Speaker of the Lower House
of the Afghan Parliament
. Following the Communist coup in 1978
, Mirwais Yasini worked actively to combat the Soviet invasion
, and went on to oppose the Taliban from 1993 to 2001 as a social and political activist. After the fall of the Taliban regime in 2002, Yasini began his political career as the Director of Foreign Relations and Economic Evaluation for Afghanistan
's Ministry of Finance, and as a prominent member of the Emergency Loya Jirga
, which met in Kabul
. Since that time he has held several high-level political posts, including such titles as the First Deputy Speaker of the Constitutional Loya Jirga and Director General of the Counter Narcotics Department. In 2005, Yasini was elected to the Lower House of the Afghan Parliament, and became the leader of its largest parliamentary party. In March 2009, he announced his candidacy for Afghanistan's Presidential Elections in opposition to the sitting incumbent, President Hamid Karzai.
, Nangarhar province
, Afghanistan; his father, Abdul Sattar Yasini, was a respected Islamic academic and attorney.
He attended primary and high school in Nangarhar, and became fluent in Pashto, Dari
, Arabic, English
and Urdu
.
. From 1978-1979, Mr. Yasini was with the Afghan Mujahideen
, and played an active role in driving the Soviets out of Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion. The Mujahideen were secretly supplied and funded by the United States
.
and Law in 1991 from International University, Islamabad
, Pakistan. In 1992, he was admitted to the Masters of Law program at International Islamic University and earned his degree in 1993.
In 2003, Mr. Yasini was appointed Director General of the Counter Narcotics Department of the National Security Council of Afghanistan. He was also an elected member of the Constitutional Loya Jirga and was elected as the first deputy speaker with the majority of votes. In 2005, Mr. Yasini was appointed Deputy Minister, Ministry of Counter Narcotics in the Government of Afghanistan.
, citing flagging public support for the Karzai presidency due to rampant corruption. In a formal statement, Yasini described his vision for the future of Afghanistan:
- Mirwais Yasini, March 2009
Preliminary results place him fifth in a field of thirty-eight.
House of the People (Afghanistan)
The House of the People or Wolesi Jirga , abbreviated WJ, is the lower house of the bicameral National Assembly of Afghanistan, alongside the House of Elders....
of the Afghan Parliament
National Assembly of Afghanistan
The National Assembly is Afghanistan's national legislature. It is a bicameral body, comprising two chambers:*Wolesi Jirga or the House of the People: the 250-member lower house.*Meshrano Jirga ) or the House of Elders: an upper house with 102 seats....
. Following the Communist coup in 1978
Saur Revolution
The Saur Revolution is the name given to the Communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan takeover of political power from the government of Afghanistan on 28 April 1978. The word 'Saur', i.e...
, Mirwais Yasini worked actively to combat the Soviet invasion
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
, and went on to oppose the Taliban from 1993 to 2001 as a social and political activist. After the fall of the Taliban regime in 2002, Yasini began his political career as the Director of Foreign Relations and Economic Evaluation for Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
's Ministry of Finance, and as a prominent member of the Emergency Loya Jirga
Loya jirga
A loya jirga is a type of jirga regarded as "grand assembly," a phrase in the Pashto language meaning "grand council." A loya jirga is a mass meeting usually prepared for major events such as choosing a new king, adopting a constitution, or discussing important national political or emergency...
, which met in 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...
. Since that time he has held several high-level political posts, including such titles as the First Deputy Speaker of the Constitutional Loya Jirga and Director General of the Counter Narcotics Department. In 2005, Yasini was elected to the Lower House of the Afghan Parliament, and became the leader of its largest parliamentary party. In March 2009, he announced his candidacy for Afghanistan's Presidential Elections in opposition to the sitting incumbent, President Hamid Karzai.
Family History and Childhood Years
Mirwais Yasini was born in 1962, in Kama districtKama District
Kama is a district in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, to the east of Jalalabad. Its population, which is 100% Pashtun, was estimated at 88,000 in 2002.The district centre is the village of Sanger Srye Kama....
, Nangarhar province
Nangarhar Province
Nangarhar is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan in the east of the country. Its capital is the city of Jalalabad. The population of the province is 1,334,000, which consists mainly of ethnic Pashtuns with a sizable community of Arabs and Pashais....
, Afghanistan; his father, Abdul Sattar Yasini, was a respected Islamic academic and attorney.
He attended primary and high school in Nangarhar, and became fluent in Pashto, Dari
Dari (Eastern Persian)
Dari or Fārsī-ye Darī in historical terms refers to the Persian court language of the Sassanids. In contemporary usage, the term refers to the dialects of modern Persian language spoken in Afghanistan, and hence known as Afghan Persian in some Western sources. It is the term officially recognized...
, Arabic, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
.
Involvement in the Soviet War in Afghanistan
After the Communist coup In 1978, Yasini and his family took refuge in PakistanPakistan
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...
. From 1978-1979, Mr. Yasini was with the Afghan Mujahideen
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
, and played an active role in driving the Soviets out of Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion. The Mujahideen were secretly supplied and funded by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Higher education
Mirwais Yasini received his LLB in ShariaSharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
and Law in 1991 from International University, Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
, Pakistan. In 1992, he was admitted to the Masters of Law program at International Islamic University and earned his degree in 1993.
Opposition to the Taliban
For a period of 8 years (1993–2001), Yasini worked in active opposition to the Taliban regime as a social and political activist. As a prominent member of the anti-Taliban movement Yasini built his most enduring political relationships.The Post-Taliban Years
After the fall of the Taliban in 2002, Yasini was appointed as the first Director of the Red Cross in Nangarhar. Following this, Yasini was the Director of Foreign Relations and Economic Evaluation for the Ministry of Finance. Also in 2002, he was elected a member of the Emergency Loya Jirga, which met in Kabul.In 2003, Mr. Yasini was appointed Director General of the Counter Narcotics Department of the National Security Council of Afghanistan. He was also an elected member of the Constitutional Loya Jirga and was elected as the first deputy speaker with the majority of votes. In 2005, Mr. Yasini was appointed Deputy Minister, Ministry of Counter Narcotics in the Government of Afghanistan.
Parliamentary Work
In 2005, Yasini was elected to the Lower House of the Afghan Parliament as a representative of Nangarhar Province. He is currently the leader of the largest parliamentary party in the Afghanistan lower house, the Afghanistan Parliamentary Party, and the First Deputy Speaker of the Lower House of the Afghan Parliament.Presidential bid
In March 2009, Mirwais Yasini announced his formal opposition to the Karzai government, and declared his intent to run in Afghanistan's 2009 Presidential ElectionsAfghan presidential election, 2009
The 2009 presidential election in Afghanistan was characterized by lack of security, low voter turnout and widespread ballot stuffing, intimidation, and other electoral fraud....
, citing flagging public support for the Karzai presidency due to rampant corruption. In a formal statement, Yasini described his vision for the future of Afghanistan:
I envision a peaceful, democratic, developed, drug-free, prosperous, sovereign and united Afghanistan. My mission is to spread democratic principles, development, freedom, social justice, human rights, effective governance, while strengthening the rule of law in Afghanistan, and coexisting with our neighbors in peace with respect for international law and conventions... I will effectively mobilize constituencies such as the National Assembly, Provincial Councils, political societies (parties), Civil Society Groups (NGOs, associations, media), tribal shuras, the private sector (the business community), local leaders (Maliks, Khans, religious scholars), and former Jihadi leaders and moderate Taliban to work for the interests of Afghans as well as those of the international community.
- Mirwais Yasini, March 2009
Preliminary results place him fifth in a field of thirty-eight.