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Abdul Zahir (politician)

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Abdul Zahir
Abdul Zahir in 1963
Speaker of the House of People
In office
1961–1968
Preceded byMohammad Nawroz Khan
Succeeded byMohammad Omer Wardak
Prime Minister of Afghanistan
In office
9 June 1971 – 12 December 1972
MonarchMohammad Zahir Shah
Preceded byMohammad Nur Ahmad Etemadi
Succeeded byMohammad Musa Shafiq
Personal details
Born3 May 1910
De Baghalak, Mihtarlam District, Laghman Province, Afghanistan[1]
Died21 October 1982(1982-10-21) (aged 72)
Kabul, Afghanistan
Political partyIndependent
SpouseQuraisha
ChildrenAhmad Zahir (1946–1979), Zahira Zahir (1940–), Asif Zahir (1932–2000), Belqis Zahir

Abdul Zahir (3 May 1910 – 21 October 1982) was an Afghan politician who was Prime Minister of Afghanistan for over a year in the early 1970s, during the reign of King Mohammad Zahir Shah.

Early life and education

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An ethnic Pashtun from the Ghilji Sahak tribe, Abdul Zahir was born in the village of De Baghalak in Mihtarlam District of Laghman Province in eastern Afghanistan.[1] He had three or four brothers. His father's name was Mirza Abdul Qader.

Abdul Zahir attended secondary school in Kabul and university in the United States, earning an MD from Columbia University and a Master's degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

Career

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Abdul Zahir became a medical doctor and returned to Afghanistan to practice medicine, but eventually entered politics. His political positions included terms as Minister of Health, Speaker of House of the People from 1961 to 1968,[10] and Ambassador to Italy and Pakistan. Most prominently, he served as Prime Minister of Afghanistan from June 1971 to December 1972. A few months after resigning, King Mohammad Zahir Shah was overthrown and Abdul Zahir retired from politics.

Personal life

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Abdul Zahir was married to Quraisha and had four children. His son Ahmad Zahir was a popular musician who died in a car accident in 1979. His daughter Zahira Zahir is a hairdresser in Washington, D.C.[11][12][13] His eldest son, Asif Zahir (1932—2000) was also politically active during his lifetime as Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development in 1980s and he remained ambassador in Kuwait (1989—1992) and Italy (1992—1993). He resigned from his post and lived in Peshawar, Pakistan, where he started a campaign for peace in Afghanistan by setting up a political group called the Afghan National Movement (ANM). His youngest daughter, Belqiss Zahir is currently living in Germany and runs a beauty salon.

References

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  1. ^ a b Ahmad Zahir House on YouTube (May 9, 2023) (@ 11:53) (stating in Pashto language that he was ethnic Pashtun from the Sahak tribe)
  2. ^ "احمد ظاهر، الويس پريسلی افغانستان Ahmad Zahir: Elvis Presley of Afghanistan". BBC Persian. 6 December 2003.
  3. ^ "احمد ظاهر ولې پښتو سندرې کمې ویلې دي؟ Why Did Ahmad Zahir Sing Few Pashto Songs?". BBC Pashto. 13 June 2018.
  4. ^ "احمد ظاهر یو لیجنډ سندرغاړی Ahmad Zahir: A Legendary Singer". Haroon Bacha. Mashaal Radio. 23 October 2016.
  5. ^ Amy Waldman (20 March 2003). "Kabul Journal; The Afghan Elvis 'Lives' 24 Years After His Death". The New York Times.
  6. ^ "'Evergreen': Afghan Elvis's legacy endures, decades after death". Wakil Khosar. Al Jazeera. 10 October 2019.
  7. ^ James Astill (27 November 2003). "Pilgrims flock to Kabul to pay tribute to the Afghan Elvis". The Guardian.
  8. ^ "Afghan Singer's Legacy Continues at Home And Abroad". Mustafa Sarwar. Gandhara. 29 October 2018.
  9. ^ "BBC World Service – the Documentary, Remembering Afghanistan's Elvis".
  10. ^ "A glance of the History of Assemblies of Afghanistan" (PDF). Wolesi Yirga. 25 January 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 May 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  11. ^ Amy Waldman (20 March 2003). "Kabul Journal; The Afghan Elvis 'Lives' 24 Years After His Death". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  12. ^ John R. Thomson (20 September 2005). "Above & Beyond: Profiles of Afghan commitment". National Review. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  13. ^ "The Life of the President's Barber". CNN. 2 December 2001. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
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Political offices
Preceded by Prime Minister of Afghanistan
1971–1972 		Succeeded by
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