- Hamid Karzai
Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai 's days may be numbered . I wrote the 25 Must-Know Facts about Afghanistan . How about 19 must know facts about their possible ex-president Hamid Karzai .
- Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is a popular figure as an Afghan Mujahideen or rebel commanders. He is a former Prime Minister of Afghanistan, labelled as a warlord by many. He is currently wanted by the United States for taking part in the insurgncy in Afghanistan against the new government of President Hamid Karzai. Hekmatyar speaks several languages, including English. It is reported that he has two wives and many children and grand-children.
- Mohammed Omar
Mullah Mohammed Omar (born c. 1959, Nodeh, near Kandahar) or simply Mullah Omar, is the reclusive leader of the Taliban of Afghanistan and was Afghanistan's de facto head of state from 1996 to 2001, under the title Commander of the Faithful. Since the Post-9/11 war in Afghanistan began in 2001 he has been in hiding and wanted by U.S. authorities for harboring Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda organization. He is believed to be hiding in Pakistan.
- Imran Khan
Imran Khan (Urdu/Pashto: عمران احمد خان نیازی born November 25 1952, in Mianwali is a Pakistani former cricketer turned politician. Imran played Test cricket for Pakistan between 1971 and 1992, and was captain of the national team when they won their maiden World Cup in 1992. Currently, Imran is a member of Parliament and leader of the political party that he founded, the Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice).
- Abdul Haq
Abdul Haq (born Humayoun Arsala; April 23, 1958 - October 26, 2001) was an Afghan Pashtun mujahideen commander who fought against the Soviets and Afghan commmunists during the Soviet-Afghan War. He was executed by the Taliban in October 2001 while trying to create a popular uprising in Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11th attacks.
- Jalaluddin Haqqani
Maulavi Jalaluddin Haqqani (c. 1950-) is a Pashtun military leader known for his involvement in fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s, specially during Operation Magistral, as well as for being invitated by President Hamid Karzai to become Prime Minister of Afghanistan. More recently, he has lead pro-Taliban militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He has also been credited with introducing suicide bombing to the region
- Abdul Qadir
Hajji Abdul Qadir Arsala was a former leader in the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan.He was also a member of the Pashtun Mafia He was the brother of Abdul Haq, a Pashtun leader executed by the Taliban. Qadir was governor of his home province of Nangarhar before the Taliban gained power and retook the position after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. Qadir joined with two other leaders, Hazrat Ali and Hajji Mohammed Zaman, to form the Eastern Shura.
- Ayub Khan
(PA - 10) Muhammad Ayub Khan HJ, NPk (May 14, 1907 - April 19, 1974) was a Field Marshal during the mid-1960s, and the political leader of Pakistan from 1958 to 1969. He became Pakistan's first native Commander in Chief in 1951, and was the youngest full-rank general and self-appointed field marshal in Pakistan's military history. He was also the first Pakistani military general to seize power through a coup.
- Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (b. at Hashtnagar in Utmanzai, Peshawar, North-West Frontier Province, British India, c. 1890 – d. in Peshawar, NWFP, Pakistan, 20 January 1988) was a Pashtun political and spiritual leader known for his non-violent opposition to British Rule during the final years of the Imperial rule in the Indian sub-continent. He was a lifelong pacifist and a devout Muslim. He was known as "Badshah Khan" (sometimes written as "Bacha Khan"), …
- Babrak Karmal
Babrak Karmal (January 6, 1929 - December 3, 1996) was the third President of Afghanistan (1979 - 1986) during the period of the communist Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. He is best known of the Marxist leadership. Having been restored to power with Soviet support, he was unable to consolidate his power and, in 1986, he was replaced by Dr. Mohammad Najibullah. He left Afghanistan for Moscow, but returned to Kabul in 1989. He died in Moscow.
- Amanullah Khan
King Amanullah Khan or simply Amanullah Khan (June 1, 1892 - April 25, 1960) was the ruler of Afghanistan from 1919 to 1929. He led Afghanistan to independence over its foreign affairs from the United Kingdom, and his rule was marked by dramatic political and social change. Amanullah khan was the son of the King Habibullah Khan. When Habibullah was assassinated on February 20, 1919, …
- Hafizullah Amin
Hafizullah Amin (August 1, 1929 – December 27, 1979) was the second President of Afghanistan during the period of the communist Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. Amin tried to broaden his internal base of support and to bring the interest of Pakistan and the United States in Afghan security. During the 104 days of his rule, except for one failed military rebellion, no major uprising took place.
- Mohammed Zahir Shah
Mohammed Zahir Shah (born 16 October 1914) was the last King ("Shah") of Afghanistan, reigning for four decades from 1933 to 1973.
- Mohammed Fahim
Marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim is a prominent Afghani Military Commander and Politician. He was the defense minister of the Afghan Transitional Administration, beginning in 2002 and also served as vice president. Later Fahim was removed as defense minister by President Hamid Karzai on December 23 2004, as the transitional administration gave way to a popularly-elected administration.
- Afrasiab Khattak
Afrasiab Khattak is a former student leader, Pakistani politician, writer and prominent human rights activist. He has been the president of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), which is believed to be the largest human rights organisation in the country. Khattak hails from Kohat in southern NWFP. He was an active leftist politician during the 1970s and 1980s. He spent many years in self-exile in Afghanistan in the 1980s, …
- Mohammed Atta
Mohammed Atta is the current governor of Afghanistan's Balkh Province. He was appointed by Hamid Karzai to the position in late 2004. The ethnic Tajik Atta is known for his rivalry with Uzbek General Abdul Rashid Dostum. The tensions between Afghanistan's ethnic groups (Pashtun, Uzbek, and Tajik) sometimes produce violent conflict and political strife.
- Abdur Rahman Khan
Abdur Rahman Khan (1844 - October 1, 1901), "Emir" of Afghanistan, was the third son of Afzul Khan, who was the eldest son of Dost Mahommed Khan, who had established the Barakzai's family dynasty in Afghanistan. Abdur Rehman Khan was considered a strong ruler who re-established the writ of the Afghan government in Kabul after the disarray that followed the second Anglo-Afghan war.
- Ahmad Shah Abdali
Ahmad Shāh Abdālī, also known as Ahmad Shāh Durrānī, is recognized by the ethnic Afghan people (Pashtuns) along with western scholars/historians as the founder of the modern state of Afghanistan. The Persians view him as Amir of Khorasan. Ahmad Shah rose to power in the city of Kandahar, where he built the Durrani Empire. The long-ruling Pashtuns of Afghanistan honor him as Ahmad Shāh Bābā (Baba meaning: "Father").
- Gul Agha Sherzai
Gul Agha Sherzai is the current Governor of Nangarhar province in Afghanistan. He was the Governor of Kandahar province from 2001 until 2004.
- Farhad Darya
Farhad 'Darya' Nasher, born on September 22, 1962, in Gozargah, Kunduz province, is a singer and composer from Afghanistan. Widely popular, he has earned affection for not only his music but also patriotism. He has fan base that stretches from his native Afghanistan to Pakistan, Europe, North America and extending to Australia. Farhad sings in various languages including: Pashto, Persian, Uzbek, and Hindi.
- Shah Wali
Ustad Shah Wali is one of those living Pashtun singers who have sung more than 10,000 songs in Pashto, Dari, and Urdu. An Afghan by birth, Shah Wali’s father was a businessman and had nothing to do with music. It was on his own account that Shah Wali carved a name for himself in this line. Before his migration to Pakistan, Shah Wali had already sung more than 250 songs for Afghanistan Television.
- Qazi Hussain Ahmad
Qazi Hussain Ahmad is the president of the Pakistani Muslim religious party, the Jama'at-e-Islami. He is also the leader of the Muttahidah Majlis-e-'Amal (Council of United Action) or MMA. Qazi Hussain Ahmed was born in 1938 at Ziarat Kaka Sahib in the district of Nowshera, North-West Frontier Province (NWFP). His father Qazi Muhammad Abdul Rab, a farmer by profession, was also well versed in Islamic religious sciences. After the completion of his early education at home, …
- Abdul Rasul Sayyaf
Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, aka Abd-i-Rab Rasoul Sayaf, is a Pashtun warlord commander of a Pashtun militia.
- Asfandyar Wali Khan
Asfandyar Wali Khan is the Leader of the Awami National Party in Pakistan. His father, Khan Wali Khan, was the party’s first President. He is the grandson of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan.He is the present President of the Awami National Party and has served as Member of Provincial Assembly, Member of National Assembly and presently Senator in Pakistan's Parliament.
- Mohammad Najibullah
Dr. Mohammad Najibullah (Pashto/; born 1947, killed September 27, 1996) was the fourth and last President of the communist Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. He is also considered the second President of the Republic of Afghanistan.
- Asadullah Khalid
Asadullah Khalid, an ethnic Pashtun, was Governor of Ghazni Province in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2005. He is currently the Governor of Kandahar Province. On October 19 2006 he told it appeared that no Taliban fighters were in the village at the time of the airstrikes by NATO helicopters, which left giant pieces of mud packed with straw scattered along the narrow lane of the village Ashogho. Khalid, who traveled October 18 2006 to Ashogho, …
- Amin Tarzi
Dr. Amin Tarzi is an analyst for Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, and Senior Fellow with the Center for Advanced Defense Studies. He previously served as Senior Research Associate for the Middle East at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies of the Monterey Institute of International Studies, where he taught graduate seminars on Middle East security policies and threat perceptions.. Dr.
- Khushal Khan Khattak
Khushal Khan Khattak (Pashto: خوشحال خان خټک) was a famous Pashtun warrior, poet and tribal chief of the Khattak tribe. He wrote in Pashto and Urdu during the reign of the Mughal (Mongol) emperors in the seventeenth century, and admonished Afghans to forsake their divisive tendencies and unite to regain the strength and glory they once possessed. A renowned fighter who became known as the "Afghan Warrior Poet", …
- Rahman Baba
Rahman Baba known as the Nightingale of Afghanistan and Pakhtoonkhwa, Rahman Baba is a legendary Pashto Sufi poet. His poetry places him alongside Khushal Khan Khattak for his contribution to Pashto poetry and literature.
- Ahmed Wali Karzai
Ahmad Wali Khan Karzai, younger brother of Hamid Karzai, president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is the representative for southern Afghanistan in Kandahar. Ahmad Wali Khan Karzai was chosen as a representative of Kandahar province for the 2002 Loya jirga and also the 2004 Constitutional Loya Jirga. Karzai is also an elder of the Popalzai, a pashtun clan. It has been alleged that he is a prominent figure in the global drug trade, …
- Abdullah
Dr. Abdullah, an Afghan politician, was the Foreign Minister of Afghanistan. Like many Afghans, he uses only one name, though he is sometimes referred as "Abdullah Abdullah". Abdullah was born in Panjshir, studied ophthalmology at Kabul University’s Department of Medicine and obtained his M.D in 1983. He worked as an Ophthalmologist in Kabul until 1985, after which he worked with Afghan refugees in Pakistan, where he came into contact with the anti-Soviet resistance.
- Ghulam Ishaq Khan
Ghulam Ishaq Khan (abbreviated as GIK) (Urdu/Pashto: was President of Pakistan from August 17, 1988 until July 18, 1993.
- Ghani Khan
Ghani Khan (1914-1996) is widely considered as one of the best Pashto language poet of the 20th century, along with Ameer Hamza Shinwari. He stands on a par with Khushal Khan Khattak and Rahman Baba. He was also a respected writer and artist.
- Arif Khan
Arif Khan was a Pashtun leader from the village of Zakhel, Kunduz, Afghanistan. He was a military commander and governor of Kunduz province. He was reportedly killed on April 4, 2000. His brother Haji Omar Khan assumed his responsibilities.
- Sher Shah Suri
Sher Shah Suri also known as Sher Khan or as The Lion King, was founder of the Sur Dynasty of northern Indian rulers. He was born into a Pashtun family in Sasaram, Bihar in 1486.
- Rahim Shah
Rahim Shah is a famous Pakistani pop singer of Pashtun ethnic backgrounds. Some say he started from Peshawar NWFP, but actually grew up in Malir Town Karachi city and after getting fame he left Malir Town but still currently based in Karachi, Sindh. He has sung different songs in local malir town cricket tournaments in Karachi. Rahim Shah sings in Pashto, Punjabi and Urdu. In an interview he revealed that "Rahim Shah" is not his real name and, in fact, …
- Rangin Dadfar Spanta
Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta (born 1954 in Herat) is the foreign minister of Afghanistan. He was appointed to that position by Hamid Karzai during a cabinet reshuffle on March 21, 2006 and approved by the 249-seat lower house on April 20, 2006. He was previously the Senior Advisor on International Affairs to President Hamid Karzai. Before returning to Afghanistan, he spent many years as a scholar and assistant professor of political science at RWTH Aachen University, Germany, …
- Mohammed Daoud Khan
Sardar Mohammed Daoud Khan (July 18, 1909 - April 28, 1978), son of Sardar Mohammed Aziz Khan and grandson of Sadar Mohammed Yusuf Khan was an Afghan statesman and President of Afghanistan from 1973 until his assassination in 1978 as a result of a revolution led by the Marxist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA). Khan was known for his progressive policies, especially in relation to the rights of women, and for initiating two five-year modernization plans.
- Habibullah Khan
Habibullah Khan was the Emir of Afghanistan from 1901 until 1919. He was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the eldest son of the Emir Abdur Rahman Khan, whom he succeeded by right of primogeniture in October 1901. Habibullah was a relatively secular, reform-minded ruler who attempted to modernize his country. During his reign he worked to bring Western medicine and other technology to Afghanistan. In 1904, Habibullah founded the Habibia school as well as a military academy.
- Dadullah Akhund
Mullah Dadullah or Dadullah Akhund (1966? - May 12, 2007) was the Taliban's senior military commander until his death in 2007. He was an ethnic Pashtun from Kakar tribe of Kili kakaran in Uruzgan province in Afghanistan. He also had a home in Alajilga, a border village in Kandahar.