Gulbuddin Hekmatyar

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, born on August first, nineteen forty-nine, is a prominent Afghan politician and military leader, known for his complex and controversial history. He is the founder and current leader of the Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin political party, which emerged from a split in the Hezb-i Islami faction in nineteen seventy-nine. Hekmatyar's political career includes two terms as Prime Minister during the tumultuous decade of the nineteen nineties.

His political journey began in the early nineteen seventies when he joined the Muslim Youth organization, where his radical Islamic views set him apart from his peers. With the onset of the Soviet-Afghan War in nineteen seventy-nine, Hekmatyar returned to Afghanistan after spending time in Pakistan. During this period, the CIA began funding his Hezb-e Islami organization, which became the largest among the Afghan mujahideen, receiving more financial support than any other leader.

In the late nineteen eighties, Hekmatyar's organization began trafficking opium and later manufactured heroin, establishing itself as a leading supplier in the Middle East. This connection to the CIA became a diplomatic embarrassment for the United States. Following the fall of the Soviet-backed regime in nineteen ninety-two, Hekmatyar engaged in the Afghan Civil War, which resulted in significant civilian casualties, particularly in Kabul, where he was held responsible for devastating rocket attacks.

Despite his involvement in the civil conflict, Hekmatyar served as Prime Minister from nineteen ninety-three to nineteen ninety-four and briefly in nineteen ninety-six before fleeing to Tehran due to the Taliban's rise. After the Taliban's fall in two thousand one, he returned to Pakistan and led an unsuccessful campaign against the Afghan government. In two thousand sixteen, he signed a peace deal with the Afghan government, allowing his return after nearly two decades in exile.

Following the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in August twenty twenty-one, Hekmatyar met with former leaders in Doha to discuss forming a government. However, these efforts were overshadowed by the Taliban's establishment of a non-inclusive government in September twenty twenty-one. Hekmatyar currently resides in Kabul, continuing to play a role in Afghanistan's political landscape.