Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq
Encyclopedia
Hajji
Mohammad Mohaqiq is the founder and chairman of the People's Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan
. He took an active part in the war against the invading Soviet Union
to Afghanistan
in 1979. He was fighting the Soviet Army
from the northern parts of the country in the Balkh
Province.
After the withdrawal of Soviet Union from Afghanistan in 1989, Ustad Mohaqiq was appointed as the Wahdat Party leader in the Northern Zone.
He is amongst the few Mujahideen
leaders who never left the country. Even when Taliban controlled 95 per cent of Afghanistan's soil, he was fighting against them in Dar-e Suf in Samangan
Province and in Yakawlang and Panjab of Bamiyan
Province.
After the fall of Taliban, he was elected as one of the five key members of the government under the Bonn Agreement
in December 2001. He was appointed as the Vice-President and the Minister of Planning in the interim government of Afghanistan.
Ultimately, due to some differences between him and the Hamid Karzai
(President) and Ashraf Ghani
(former Finance Minister), he was ousted from the cabinet by Hamid Karzai.
Ustad Mohaqiq was a prominent Presidential candidate in the Presidential Election of 2004.
In some provinces like Kabul
, Bamiyan, Daikundi, and even in Iran
amongst the Afghan refugees over there, he got the majority of the votes. Finally, he came in third position after Hamid Karzai and Yunus Qanuni
with 11.7 percent of the votes.
He is currently a Member of Parliament and the chairman of the People's Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan.
Recently in the wake of Kuchi (Pashtun
nomads) invasion to the Hazara villages in Behsud and Daimirdad of Wardak Province and the indifference of the Government and the international community to this tragic event, he went onto a hunger strike
protesting peacefully and in a civilized manner against this invasion and negligence on the part of government, security agencies and the international community present in Afghanistan.
In July 2008 around 10,000 Hazara people came out on the Kabul streets in support of Ustad Mohaqiq and protested against the invasion of Kuchis and discrimination by the government.
Finally with the decree of the President, Hamid Karzai, for a temporary removal of invading Kuchis from Hazara villages, and requests from various Mujahideen leaders and the people to end the hunger strike, Ustad Mohaqiq ended his 8-day hunger strike.
In January 2009 an article by Ahmad Majidyar of the American Enterprise Institute
included Mohaqiq on a list of fifteen possible candidates in the 2009 Afghan Presidential election.
Mohaqiq was one of the most powerful supporters of president Hamid Karzai in 2009 election.
In 2010, Mohaqiq broke with Karzai and became an outspoken opponent of his policy of appeasement
towards the Taliban insurgency
: "The new political path that Karzai has chosen will not only destroy him, it will destroy the country. It's a kind of suicide."
Hajji
Hajji or El-Hajj, is an honorific title given to a Muslim person who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca, and is often used to refer to an elder, since it can take time to accumulate the wealth to fund the travel. The title is placed before a person's name...
Mohammad Mohaqiq is the founder and chairman of the People's Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan
People's Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan
People's Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan is a political party in Afghanistan, formed after a split in the Hezbe Wahdat. The party is led by Mohammed Mohaqiq....
. He took an active part in the war against the invading Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
in 1979. He was fighting the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
from the northern parts of the country in the Balkh
Balkh
Balkh , was an ancient city and centre of Zoroastrianism in what is now northern Afghanistan. Today it is a small town in the province of Balkh, about 20 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital, Mazar-e Sharif, and some south of the Amu Darya. It was one of the major cities of Khorasan...
Province.
After the withdrawal of Soviet Union from Afghanistan in 1989, Ustad Mohaqiq was appointed as the Wahdat Party leader in the Northern Zone.
He is amongst the few Mujahideen
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
leaders who never left the country. Even when Taliban controlled 95 per cent of Afghanistan's soil, he was fighting against them in Dar-e Suf in Samangan
Samangan
Samangan is a provincial town, medieval caravan stop, and the headquarters of the Samangan Province in the district of the same name in the northern part of Afghanistan...
Province and in Yakawlang and Panjab of Bamiyan
Bamiyan
Bamyan , also spelt Bamiyan and Bamian, at an altitude of about 9,200 feet and with a population of about 61,863, is the largest town in the region of Hazarajat in central Afghanistan and the capital of Bamyan Province. It lies approximately 240 kilometres north-west of Kabul, the national capital...
Province.
After the fall of Taliban, he was elected as one of the five key members of the government under the Bonn Agreement
Bonn Agreement
Bonn Agreement could refer to*Bonn Agreement *Bonn Agreement *Bonn Agreement *Bonn Agreement...
in December 2001. He was appointed as the Vice-President and the Minister of Planning in the interim government of Afghanistan.
Ultimately, due to some differences between him and the Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
(President) and Ashraf Ghani
Ashraf Ghani
Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai is a prominent politician in Afghanistan and the former chancellor of Kabul University. He is also the chairman of the Institute for State Effectiveness, an organization set up in 2005 to promote the ability of states to serve their citizens. Before returning to...
(former Finance Minister), he was ousted from the cabinet by Hamid Karzai.
Ustad Mohaqiq was a prominent Presidential candidate in the Presidential Election of 2004.
In some provinces like Kabul
Kabul Province
Kābul , situated in the east of the country, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. The capital of the province is Kabul City, which is also Afghanistan's capital. The population of Kabul province is 3.5 million people as of 2009, of which almost 80 percent live in the urban areas...
, Bamiyan, Daikundi, and even in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
amongst the Afghan refugees over there, he got the majority of the votes. Finally, he came in third position after Hamid Karzai and Yunus Qanuni
Yunus Qanuni
Yunus Qanuni is a politician in Afghanistan. An ethnic Tajik from the Panjshir Valley in Afghanistan, Qanuni is the leader of the Afghanistan e Naween political party and former Speaker of the House of the People .-Pre Election...
with 11.7 percent of the votes.
He is currently a Member of Parliament and the chairman of the People's Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan.
Recently in the wake of Kuchi (Pashtun
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
nomads) invasion to the Hazara villages in Behsud and Daimirdad of Wardak Province and the indifference of the Government and the international community to this tragic event, he went onto a hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
protesting peacefully and in a civilized manner against this invasion and negligence on the part of government, security agencies and the international community present in Afghanistan.
In July 2008 around 10,000 Hazara people came out on the Kabul streets in support of Ustad Mohaqiq and protested against the invasion of Kuchis and discrimination by the government.
Finally with the decree of the President, Hamid Karzai, for a temporary removal of invading Kuchis from Hazara villages, and requests from various Mujahideen leaders and the people to end the hunger strike, Ustad Mohaqiq ended his 8-day hunger strike.
In January 2009 an article by Ahmad Majidyar of the American Enterprise Institute
American Enterprise Institute
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research is a conservative think tank founded in 1943. Its stated mission is "to defend the principles and improve the institutions of American freedom and democratic capitalism—limited government, private enterprise, individual liberty and...
included Mohaqiq on a list of fifteen possible candidates in the 2009 Afghan Presidential election.
Mohaqiq was one of the most powerful supporters of president Hamid Karzai in 2009 election.
In 2010, Mohaqiq broke with Karzai and became an outspoken opponent of his policy of appeasement
Appeasement
The term appeasement is commonly understood to refer to a diplomatic policy aimed at avoiding war by making concessions to another power. Historian Paul Kennedy defines it as "the policy of settling international quarrels by admitting and satisfying grievances through rational negotiation and...
towards the Taliban insurgency
Taliban insurgency
The Taliban insurgency took root shortly after the group's fall from power following the 2001 war in Afghanistan. The Taliban continue to attack Afghan, U.S., and other ISAF troops and many terrorist incidents attributable to them have been registered. The war has also spread over the southern and...
: "The new political path that Karzai has chosen will not only destroy him, it will destroy the country. It's a kind of suicide."
External links
Mohaqeq interview - 21 August 2009 - Radio France InternationaleRadio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale was created in 1975 as part of Radio France by the Government of France, and replaced the Poste Colonial , Paris Mondial , Radio Paris , RTF Radio Paris and ORTF Radio Paris...