Zahir Qadeer
Afghan politician and general
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Haji Abdul Zahir Qadeer (Pashto: حاجی عبدالظاهر قدیر) is an Afghan politician and former member of the National Assembly.[3][4][5][6] He was previously a General in Afghanistan's Border Guard, serving as 8th Border Battalion Commander, Takhar Province.[1][7] In 2010 he was elected to the House of the People as the member for Nangarhar, and was elected First Deputy Speaker in 2012.[1]
Zahir Qadeer ظاهر قدیر | |
|---|---|
Qadeer in 2015 | |
| Member of the House of the People | |
| In office 2010–2021 | |
| Parliamentary group | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1973 (age 52–53) |
| Party | Independent |
| Relatives | Haji Abdul Qadeer (father) |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Islamic Republic of Afghanistan |
| Branch/service | Afghan Border Police |
| Rank | General |
Zahir Qadeer is the son of Haji Abdul Qadeer, a senior member of the anti-Taliban United Islamic Front (Northern Alliance) and one of the first Vice Presidents of the Afghan Transitional Administration. Zahir Qadeer's father and brother-in-law were assassinated on 8 July 2002.[8]
He was born to a Pashtun family that has long-standing ties with Mohammed Zahir Shah, the last king of Afghanistan. He graduated from a high school in Saudi Arabia and studied law in Pakistan.[1]
Zahir Qadeer and two other anti-Taliban leaders were freed from a Taliban prison in 1999 by Abdul-Razzaq Hekmati and Hekmatullah Hekmati, two former Mujahids who had served with the Taliban when they became disillusioned.[7]
On 30 August 2017, at least two security guards were killed in a suicide attack targeting his residence in Jalalabad.[9] Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks.[10]