Juma Khan Hamdard
| Juma Khan Hamdard جمعه خان همدرد |
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|---|---|
 |
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| Juma Khan Hamdard of Afghanistan in 2010 | |
| Governor of Paktia, Afghanistan | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 17 December 2007 |
|
| Preceded by | Rahmatullah Rahmat |
| 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 | 1954 Balkh, Afghanistan |
| Religion | Muslim |
Juma Khan Hamdard (Pashto: جمعه خان همدرد ) is the current governor of Paktia Province, Afghanistan. He formerly served as governor of Baghlan and later Jowzjan.
[edit] Biography
Juma Khan Hamdard, an ethnic Pashtun of the Wardak tribe from Mazari Sharif, was born in 1954 in Balkh Province in northern Afghanistan.[1] 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.[2] On December 17, 2007 he was appointed governor of the eastern Paktia Province, replacing Rahmatullah Rahmat.[1] 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 Pakistani intelligence (ISI) and Iranian operatives through his business in Dubai, where Gulbaddin Hekmatyr's son is believed to be his business partner.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Province: “Paktya”. Naval Postgraduate School, Program for Culture & Conflict Studies
- ^ “Bad blood spreads to Afghanistan's north”. Asia Times, May 30, 2007
- ^ “Corrupt governor in eastern Afghanistan”. US embassy cables
[edit] External links
- “Rise in Violence in North Shows Afghanistan’s Fragility”. The New York Times, May 29, 2007
- “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 |
