Abdul Zahir (politician) explained

Abdul Zahir
Office1:Speaker of the House of People
Term Start1:1961
Term End1:1968
Predecessor1:Mohammad Nawroz Khan
Successor1:Mohammad Omer Wardak
Order2:Prime Minister of Afghanistan
Monarch2:Mohammad Zahir Shah
Term Start2:9 June 1971
Term End2:12 December 1972
Predecessor2:Mohammad Nur Ahmad Etemadi
Successor2:Mohammad Musa Shafiq
Birth Date:3 May 1910
Birth Place:De Baghalak, Mihtarlam District, Laghman Province, Afghanistan
Death Place:Kabul, Afghanistan
Party:Independent
Spouse:Quraisha
Children:Ahmad Zahir (1946–1979), Zahira Zahir (1940–), Asif Zahir (1932–2000), Belqis Zahir

Abdul Zahir (3 May 1910 – 21 October 1982) was Prime Minister of Afghanistan in the early 1970s, during the reign of King Zahir Shah.

Early life and education

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

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 Zahir Shah was overthrown and Abdul Zahir retired from politics.

Personal life

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.

External links

Notes and References

  1. (May 9, 2023) (@ 11:53) (stating in Pashto language that he was ethnic Pashtun from the Sahak tribe)
  2. News: احمد ظاهر، الويس پريسلی افغانستان Ahmad Zahir: Elvis Presley of Afghanistan. BBC Persian . 6 December 2003.
  3. News: احمد ظاهر ولې پښتو سندرې کمې ویلې دي؟ Why Did Ahmad Zahir Sing Few Pashto Songs? . BBC Pashto . 13 June 2018.
  4. News: احمد ظاهر یو لیجنډ سندرغاړی Ahmad Zahir: A Legendary Singer. Mashaal Radio . Haroon Bacha . 23 October 2016.
  5. News: Kabul Journal; The Afghan Elvis 'Lives' 24 Years After His Death . The New York Times . Amy Waldman . 20 March 2003.
  6. News: 'Evergreen': Afghan Elvis's legacy endures, decades after death . Al Jazeera . Wakil Khosar . 10 October 2019.
  7. News: Pilgrims flock to Kabul to pay tribute to the Afghan Elvis . The Guardian . James Astill . 27 November 2003.
  8. News: Afghan Singer's Legacy Continues at Home And Abroad . Gandhara . Mustafa Sarwar . 29 October 2018.
  9. News: BBC World Service – the Documentary, Remembering Afghanistan's Elvis.
  10. Web site: A glance of the History of Assemblies of Afghanistan . 25 January 2019 . Wolesi Yirga . 25 January 2019 . 8 May 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170508163327/http://wolesi.website/media/files/the_history_of_parlaiment.pdf . dead .
  11. News: Kabul Journal; The Afghan Elvis 'Lives' 24 Years After His Death. The New York Times. Amy Waldman. 20 March 2003. 2008-02-03.
  12. News: Above & Beyond: Profiles of Afghan commitment. National Review. John R. Thomson. John R. Thomson. 20 September 2005. 2008-02-03.
  13. News: The Life of the President's Barber. CNN. 2 December 2001. 2008-02-03.