Taj Mohammad Wardak
Encyclopedia
Taj Mohammad Wardak is an Afghan politician, from the Pashtun
ethnic group.
He spent some of the period of the Taliban's administration in the United States of America, and became an American citizen.
. In the 1970s he served as Governor of Badakhshan Province and Governor of Laghman
Province.
of Paktia province
in Afghanistan in the winter of 2002.
He served for only a few months due to opposition from local warlord Pacha Khan Zadran
Zadran was one of the principal actors in a violent struggle for control for the province after the fall of the Taliban, and Wardak was appointed as a compromise solution between the competing warlords. Wardak was an Afghan exile living in California
as an afghan-american.
Guantanamo captive Hafizullah Shabaz Khail
, in testimony before his Combatant Status Review Tribunal
Taj Mohammed Wardak was the first Governor Hamid Karzai
appointed for the Province of Paktia.
Khail said he was appointed the District Chief of Zormat because the new Governor, Taj Mohammed, trusted him.
He said Taj Mohammed Wardak was replaced, as Governor, by Raz Mohammed Dalili
when Hamid Karzai asked him to assume a position in Kabul
.
According to the BBC
the "relatively unknown" Wardak was appointed Interior Minister on Wednesday, June 19, 2002.
According to Islam Online Wardak's appointment raised controversy within the Ministry.
They quote unnamed Ministry officials, and sentry Mohammad Halim:
Wardak was one of several cabinet ministers Karzai appointed to a high level commission to investigate the assassination of Abdul Qadir
, Vice President, and also one of Karzai's leading rivals.
Qadir, like Wardak, was a Pashtun. Analysts said Karzai picked cabinet ministers from each of Afghanistan's ethnic groups, so each group would realize he was taking the investigation seriously.
The commission included
Vice President Mohammad Karim Khalili, Intelligence Services Director
Mohammad Arif Sarwari,
Rural Development Minister Mohammad Hanif Atma, and former Interim
Irrigation Minister Hajji
Mangal Hussain
.
Wardak and Karzai differed in their interpretation of the deaths of students shot during a demonstration.
Karzai called the first student known to have died a "martyr". Wardak said that student was shot by other students.
Wardak was replaced on January 28, 2003, by Ali Ahmad Jalali
.
An article published on the web-site of The Jamestown Foundation
on June 23, 2004 described Wardak as a "presidential aide".
on the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Ministry of Justice web-page that lists the licenced political parties.
Pashtun 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...
ethnic group.
He spent some of the period of the Taliban's administration in the United States of America, and became an American citizen.
Early political career
In the mid-1960s Wardak held the position of Deputy Governor of Badakhshan ProvinceBadakhshan Province
Badakhshan is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, consisting of 28 districts. It is located in the north-east of the country, between the Hindu Kush and the Amu Darya. It is part of the Badakhshan region.-Geography:...
. In the 1970s he served as Governor of Badakhshan Province and Governor of Laghman
Laghman
Laghman can refer to:* Laghman Province in Afghanistan* Laghman, a place in Jowzjan Province, Afghanistan* Lamian and variants thereof as soup...
Province.
Governor of Paktia
Wardak was appointed GovernorGovernor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Paktia province
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:...
in Afghanistan in the winter of 2002.
He served for only a few months due to opposition from local warlord Pacha Khan Zadran
Pacha Khan Zadran
Pacha Khan Zadran is a powerful militia leader and a politician in the southeast of Afghanistan. He was an ex Soviet-fighter militia leader who played a role in driving the Taliban from Paktia Province in the 2001 invasion, with American backing, and he subsequently assumed the governorship of...
Zadran was one of the principal actors in a violent struggle for control for the province after the fall of the Taliban, and Wardak was appointed as a compromise solution between the competing warlords. Wardak was an Afghan exile living in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
as an afghan-american.
Minister of the Interior
According toGuantanamo captive Hafizullah Shabaz Khail
Hafizullah Shabaz Khail
Dr. Hafizullah Shabaz Khail is a citizen of Afghanistan, who was held in the United States's Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.American intelligence analysts estimate he was born in 1946, in Paktia, Afghanistan....
, in testimony before his Combatant Status Review Tribunal
Combatant Status Review Tribunal
The Combatant Status Review Tribunals were a set of tribunals for confirming whether detainees held by the United States at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp had been correctly designated as "enemy combatants". The CSRTs were established July 7, 2004 by order of U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense...
Taj Mohammed Wardak was the first Governor Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
appointed for the Province of Paktia.
Khail said he was appointed the District Chief of Zormat because the new Governor, Taj Mohammed, trusted him.
He said Taj Mohammed Wardak was replaced, as Governor, by Raz Mohammed Dalili
Raz Mohammed Dalili
Raz Mohammed Dalili was the Governor of Paktia Province in Afghanistan from 2002 until 2004. His arrival as Governor in the capital Gardez was delayed as local militia leader, and previous Governor, Pacha Khan Zadran refused to let him into the city Dalili eventually successfully served for two...
when Hamid Karzai asked him to assume a position 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...
.
According to the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
the "relatively unknown" Wardak was appointed Interior Minister on Wednesday, June 19, 2002.
According to Islam Online Wardak's appointment raised controversy within the Ministry.
They quote unnamed Ministry officials, and sentry Mohammad Halim:
- "The interior ministry is on high alert because the people say why Qanooni Saheb has been transferred. He should come back, It is a state of high alert and strike. We do not like Wardak, because we do not know him and we want the return of Qanooni."
Wardak was one of several cabinet ministers Karzai appointed to a high level commission to investigate the assassination of Abdul Qadir
Abdul Qadir (Afghan leader)
Hajji Abdul Qadir Arsala was a former anti-Taliban leader in the United Islamic Front in Afghanistan...
, Vice President, and also one of Karzai's leading rivals.
Qadir, like Wardak, was a Pashtun. Analysts said Karzai picked cabinet ministers from each of Afghanistan's ethnic groups, so each group would realize he was taking the investigation seriously.
The commission included
Vice President Mohammad Karim Khalili, Intelligence Services Director
Mohammad Arif Sarwari,
Rural Development Minister Mohammad Hanif Atma, and former Interim
Irrigation Minister Hajji
Hajji
Hajji or El-Hajj, is an honorific title given to a Muslim person who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca, and is often used to refer to an elder, since it can take time to accumulate the wealth to fund the travel. The title is placed before a person's name...
Mangal Hussain
Mangal Hussain
Mangal Hussain is a citizen of Afghanistan who has held a variety of political and military offices.According to the Asia Times he was one of the most powerful leaders in the Hezbi Islami Gulbuddin, prior to the emergence of the Taliban....
.
Wardak and Karzai differed in their interpretation of the deaths of students shot during a demonstration.
Karzai called the first student known to have died a "martyr". Wardak said that student was shot by other students.
Wardak was replaced on January 28, 2003, by Ali Ahmad Jalali
Ali Ahmad Jalali
Ali Ahmad Jalali is an Afghan American and a Distinguished Professor at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies of the United States' National Defense University. He is also a former Interior Minister of Afghanistan, serving in that position from January 2003 to September 2005.Jalali...
.
An article published on the web-site of The Jamestown Foundation
The Jamestown Foundation
The 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"...
on June 23, 2004 described Wardak as a "presidential aide".
2004 elections
Wardak was one of the running mates for Presidential candidate Mohammad Yunos Qanuni.National Independence Party of Afghanistan
Taj Mohammad Wardak is listed as the head of the National Independence Party of AfghanistanNational Independence Party of Afghanistan
National Independence Party of Afghanistan is a political party in Afghanistan, led by Taj Muhammad Wardak....
on the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Ministry of Justice web-page that lists the licenced political parties.