Zahir Qadir

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Haji Zahir Qadir is a prominent politician in Afghanistan.[1][2][3] He is the son of Abdul Qadir a senior member of the Afghan Northern Alliance, and one of the first Vice Presidents of the Afghan Transitional Administration. His family has long-standing ties with Mohammed Zahir Shah, the last king of Afghanistan.

His father was assassinated on July 8, 2002.[4]

New York Times writer Carlotta Gall and historian Andy Worthington, author of The Guantanamo Files, writing in the New York Times, about the death in custody of Guantanamo captive Abdul Razzak Hekmati, described Zahir Qadir as a General in Afghanistan's Border Guard.[5]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "A year of living on the edge", The Guardian, October 6, 2002. Retrieved on 2007-12-31. 
  2. ^ "Pak seals border temporarily following shootout in Afghanistan", Outlook India, November 8, 2002. Retrieved on 2007-12-19. 
  3. ^ "Border clashes open new Afghan front line", The Telegraph, July 18, 2003. Retrieved on 2007-12-19. 
  4. ^ Meena Baktash. "Abdul Qadir: Key leader in Afghan struggle", The Guardian, July 8, 2002. Retrieved on 2007-12-31. 
  5. ^ Carlotta Gall, Andy Worthington. "Time Runs Out for an Afghan Held by the U.S.", New York Times, February 5, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-02-05. "Two of those officials were men Mr. Hekmati had helped escape from the Taliban’s top security prison in Kandahar in 1999: Ismail Khan, now the minister of energy; and Hajji Zaher, a general in the Border Guards. Both men said they appealed to American officials about Mr. Hekmati’s case, but to no effect.

    “What he did was very important for all Afghan people who were against the Taliban,” Hajji Zaher said of Mr. Hekmati’s role in organizing his prison break. “He was not a man to take to Guantánamo.”

    Hajji Zaher, whose father served as vice president under Mr. Karzai for six months, warned that the case of Mr. Hekmati, who is widely known here by his nickname, Baraso, would discourage Afghans from backing the government against the Taliban. “No one is going to help the government,” he said."