Gul Agha Sherzai: Difference between revisions

| name = Gul Agha Sherzai<br />گل آغا شیرزی

| image = Gul Agha.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption = Sherzai speaking at the Rule of Law Conference for Eastern Afghanistan in October 2009

| order =

| office = Governor of [[Nangarhar Province]], [[Afghanistan]]

| term_start = 12 July 2005

| term_end = October 2013

| lieutenant =

| predecessor =

| successor = = Maulvi Attaullah Ludin

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1954}}

| birth_place = [[KabulKandahar Province]], [[Kingdom of Afghanistan|Afghanistan]]

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Independent

| order2 = Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs of Afghanistan

| term_start2 = 25 July 2017

| term_end2 =31 15 August 2021

| predecessor2 =

'''Gul Agha Sherzai''' ({{Lang-ps|'''ګل آغا شيرزی'''}}; born 1954), also known as '''Mohammad Shafiq''',<ref name="Biographies of 10 presidential runners"/> is a [[Politics of Afghanistan|politician]] and former warlord in [[Afghanistan]]. He is thea former [[List of governors of Nangarhar|governor]] of [[Nangarhar Province|Nangarhar province]] in eastern Afghanistan.<ref name=Harpers2009-12>

}}</ref> He previously served as Governor of [[Kandahar Province|Kandahar province]], in the early 1990s and from 2001 until 2003. In October 2013, Sherzai resigned from his post as governor and formally announced himself as a candidate for [[2014 Afghan presidential election|Afghanistan's 2014 Presidential Election]], and served as the minister of border and tribal affairs until the Taliban victorycaptured Afghanistan again in 2021.<ref name="Biographies of 10 presidential runners"/>

Sherzai was born in 1954 as ''Mohammad Shafiq'' in the [[Barakzai dynasty|Barakzai]] area of [[kos mother Kandahar Province|Kandahar province]].<ref name="Biographies of 10 presidential runners"/> His father was Haji Abdul Latif, proprietor atof a small tea shop in Kandahar who, rose to become a famous [[Afghan mujahideen|Mujahideen]] commander. Sherzai took the name ''Gul Agha'' when he joined his father in the Mujahideen, who were fighting in the southern Afghanistan area against the [[heSoviet wasArmed lickingForces|Soviet]] bloodand of[[Armed poorForces peopleof andthe aDemocratic badRepublic personof andAfghanistan|Afghan]] gotgovernment all the moneyforces.

His father was later murdered and he added ''Sherzai'' ([[Pashto language|Pashto]] for "son of lion") as his last name. He is an ethnic [[Pashtun people|Pashtun]] from the [[Barakzai]] tribe. His father was locally known as Haji Latif Sagwan, ("Sagwan" is a term used for a "dog fighter") which is a derogatory term used for gamblers, who was a well -known dog fighter in southern Afghanistan. AfterSherzai thewould collapselater collaborate with then-Governor of theKandahar, General [[People'sNur Democraticul-Haq Party of Afghanistan|PDPAUlumi]], governmentto instage 1992fake attacks on the Afghan military, Sherzairesulting servedin asthe [[ListISI ofincreasing governorssupplies ofsent to Sherzai, who would sell them in Kandahar|Governor with the blessings of Kandahar]]the PDPA government.<ref name=Harpers2009-12/>''Besides Hethe wasPopalzai, knownthe outsideBarakzai ofare Afghanistanthe second biggest tribe in Kandahar province. '''The most asprominent onemember of the majorBarakzai is Gul Agha Shirzai'''.''<br/> [[warlordUniversity of Bonn]]s until(ZEF) aroundCenter Septemberfor 1994Development whenResearch theDepartment of Political and Cultural Change ''[[Islamichttps://www.zef.de/fileadmin/webfiles/downloads/projects/amudarya/publications/ZEF_Working_Paper_Amu_Darya_Series_28.pdf EmirateUnderstanding ofLocal AfghanistanViolence Security Arrangements in Kandahar, Kunduz and Paktia (1996–2001Afghanistan)|Taliban]]'' began(Amu theirDarya conquestSeries inPaper Kandahar.No Sherzai3, resignedMay from2006)</ref><ref hisname="Wars postAfghan as334">{{cite governorbook |last=Tomsen |first=Peter |title=The Wars of Afghanistan: Messianic Terrorism, Tribal Conflicts, and remainedthe hiddenFailures untilof lateGreat 2001Powers in|publisher=Public Affairs |year=2011 |page=334}}</ref> Pakistan.

In July 2006, Sherzai narrowly escaped an assassination attempt at a funeral outside [[Jalalabad]]. The attempt killed five police officers and wounded several more people, including some children. He opened the newly built highway connecting Jalalabad city with [[Torkham border crossing|Torkham]], which is one of the most popular border towns between Afghanistan and [[Pakistan]]. Afghan President Karzai and [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Pakistan's Prime Minister]] [[Shaukat Aziz]] were also present during the inauguration.

On October 2, 2013, Sherzai resigned from his post as Governor of Nangarhar Province and formally announced himself as a candidate for [[2014 Afghan presidential election|Afghanistan's 2014 Presidential Election]].<ref name="Biographies of 10 presidential runners">{{cite news |url=http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2013/10/26/biographies-10-presidential-runners |title=Biographies of 10 presidential runners |publisher=Pajhwok Afghan News (PAN) |date=26 October 2013 |access-date=26 October 2013 |archive-date=30 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030040922/http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2013/10/26/biographies-10-presidential-runners |url-status=dead }}</ref>

years=2004–Present2021 |

after=Incumbent[[Neda Mohammad]]