Gul Agha Ishakzai گل آغا اسحاقزی | |
---|---|
Governor of Da Afghanistan Bank | |
Acting | |
Assumed office March 2023 | |
Preceded by | Shakir Jalali (acting) |
Principal Finance Officer to the Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan | |
In office c. 1995 – c. 2001 | |
Leader | Mohammed Omar |
Minister of Finance | |
Acting | |
In office 24 August 2021 – 30 May 2023 | |
Preceded by | Khalid Payenda |
Succeeded by | Nasir Akhund |
Personal details | |
Born | 1972 (age 51–52) Band-e-Temur, Maiwand District, Kandahar Province |
Nationality | Afghanistan |
Political party | Taliban (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) |
Occupation | Politician, Taliban member |
Gul Agha Ishakzai (born c. 1972), also known as Mullah Hidayatullah Badri [1] ( Pashto: ملا هدایت الله بدري [hɪdajatʊˈlɑ baˈdri]), is a politician in Afghanistan. As of March 2023, he is serving as the acting chief of Da Afghanistan Bank. [2] [3] [4] Prior to that he served as the country's Finance Minister. [5] [6] [7]
Gul Agha was born in Band-e-Temur, Maiwand District, Kandahar Province. He belongs to the Ishaqzai tribe, and was a childhood friend of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammed Omar. He has also been known as Mullah Gul Agha, Mullah Gul Agha Akhund, Hidayatullah, Haji Hidayatullah, Hayadatullah. [8] [9]
During the insurgency period, Agha led the Taliban's financial commission. [10] His role within the Taliban organization was to collect taxes ( zakat) from Baluchistan Province, Pakistan. He has organised funding for suicide attacks in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and for Taliban fighters and their families. He also has links to the related Haqqani network. A number of countries and international organisations; including the United States, the United Nations, and the European Union, have implemented sanctions against him and his associates under counter-terrorism financing measures. [8] [9] [11]
He was a long-time associate of Mohammed Omar; he served as Omar's principal finance officer and one of his closest advisors, living in the presidential palace with him during the first Taliban regime. [8] [9]
He was made head of Talibans' Financial Commission in mid-2013. According to a UN Security Council report in January 2015, Agha, together with other members of the Quetta Shura, showed interest in restarting peace negotiations with the Afghan Government. [12]
On 24 August 2021, he was appointed acting finance minister by the new Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. [13]
Gul Agha Ishakzai گل آغا اسحاقزی | |
---|---|
Governor of Da Afghanistan Bank | |
Acting | |
Assumed office March 2023 | |
Preceded by | Shakir Jalali (acting) |
Principal Finance Officer to the Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan | |
In office c. 1995 – c. 2001 | |
Leader | Mohammed Omar |
Minister of Finance | |
Acting | |
In office 24 August 2021 – 30 May 2023 | |
Preceded by | Khalid Payenda |
Succeeded by | Nasir Akhund |
Personal details | |
Born | 1972 (age 51–52) Band-e-Temur, Maiwand District, Kandahar Province |
Nationality | Afghanistan |
Political party | Taliban (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) |
Occupation | Politician, Taliban member |
Gul Agha Ishakzai (born c. 1972), also known as Mullah Hidayatullah Badri [1] ( Pashto: ملا هدایت الله بدري [hɪdajatʊˈlɑ baˈdri]), is a politician in Afghanistan. As of March 2023, he is serving as the acting chief of Da Afghanistan Bank. [2] [3] [4] Prior to that he served as the country's Finance Minister. [5] [6] [7]
Gul Agha was born in Band-e-Temur, Maiwand District, Kandahar Province. He belongs to the Ishaqzai tribe, and was a childhood friend of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammed Omar. He has also been known as Mullah Gul Agha, Mullah Gul Agha Akhund, Hidayatullah, Haji Hidayatullah, Hayadatullah. [8] [9]
During the insurgency period, Agha led the Taliban's financial commission. [10] His role within the Taliban organization was to collect taxes ( zakat) from Baluchistan Province, Pakistan. He has organised funding for suicide attacks in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and for Taliban fighters and their families. He also has links to the related Haqqani network. A number of countries and international organisations; including the United States, the United Nations, and the European Union, have implemented sanctions against him and his associates under counter-terrorism financing measures. [8] [9] [11]
He was a long-time associate of Mohammed Omar; he served as Omar's principal finance officer and one of his closest advisors, living in the presidential palace with him during the first Taliban regime. [8] [9]
He was made head of Talibans' Financial Commission in mid-2013. According to a UN Security Council report in January 2015, Agha, together with other members of the Quetta Shura, showed interest in restarting peace negotiations with the Afghan Government. [12]
On 24 August 2021, he was appointed acting finance minister by the new Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. [13]