Abdul Qahar Balkhi

Abdul Qahar Balkhi
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office
25 September 2021
MinisterAmir Khan Muttaqi
Personal details
Born (1988-07-15) 15 July 1988 (age 36)
Baghlan, Afghanistan
Political partyAfghanistan Taliban
OccupationMinister
ReligionIslam
DenominationSunni
JurisprudenceHanafi
MovementDeobandi
Military service
Allegiance Afghanistan
Branch/serviceCultural Commission
Battles/warsWar in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

Abdul Qahar Balkhi (Pashto: عبدالقهار بلخي) is an Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan official and the current spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan since 25 September 2021.[1] He was designated as a member of the Taliban's Cultural Commission after the fall of Kabul until his exact role in the Taliban government was determined.[2] He also served the Taliban media office in the early 2010s.[3]

Balkhi first appeared publicly at the Taliban's first press conference on 17 August 2021, after the fall of Kabul. During the press conference, he interpreted for the spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. On 22 August 2021, he was interviewed by Charlotte Bellis of Al Jazeera in the group's first official interview. During the interview, he thanked New Zealand for providing financial support to Afghanistan following the takeover, given their donations to the UN and Red Cross.[4][5]

Video letter to US Congress

On 17 November 2021, in an open letter addressed to US Congress, Taliban's acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi appealed to unfreeze Afghan central bank assets worth $US9 billion to avert a humanitarian catastrophe. Taliban's spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi also tweeted a video recording of the letter, marking a new era in Taliban's Twitter diplomacy.[6]

Personal life

He is a former New Zealand resident, and some of his family still reside there.[7] Balkhi speaks English, in a New Zealand accent.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Taliban urge international airlines to resume Afghan flights". 27 September 2021.
  2. ^ "دارالحکومت تبدیل کرنے پر بھی بات ہو رہی ہے: طالبان رہنما". 22 August 2021.
  3. ^ إندبيندنت», ترجمة: ع خ عن «ذي. "معركة على الإنترنت بين "طالبان" و"إيساف"". www.emaratalyoum.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Taliban leader Abdul Qahar Balkhi speaks about group's future".
  5. ^ "Taliban thanks NZ for financial aid for Afghanistan". TVNZ. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Watch: Fund crunched Afghanistan forces Taliban to Twitter diplomacy". 17 November 2021.
  7. ^ "Read: Senior Taliban spokesman a former New Zealand resident". 11 December 2021.
  8. ^ Taliban gave safe passage to Indian diplomats last year, welcome them back : Abdul Balkhi (Television production). ThePrint. 15 August 2022.