Naeem Wardak

Naeem Wardak
ډاکټر محمد نعیم وردک
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
Acting
Assumed office 27 January 2025
Supreme Leader	Hibatullah Akhundzada
Minister	Amir Khan Muttaqi (acting)
Preceded by	Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai
First Secretary of the Afghan Embassy in Qatar
In office October 2021 – 27 January 2025
Preceded by	Abdul Hakim Dalili (as ambassador)[1]
Succeeded by	Unknown
Personal details
Born	Mohammad Naeem Wardak 1985 (age 39–40) Chak District, Wardak Province, Afghanistan
Political party	Taliban
Alma mater	Nangarhar University International Islamic University, Islamabad Darul Uloom Haqqania

Mohammad Naeem Wardak (Pashto: ډاکټر محمد نعیم وردک; born 1985) is a senior member of the Afghan Taliban and the country's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in the internationally unrecognized Taliban regime since 27 January 2025. He also previously served as head of the Afghan Embassy in Qatar from 2021 to 2025 and the spokesman of the Taliban's Political Office from 2020 to 2025, in the same position from 2013 to 2015.

Early life and education

Wardak belongs to Chak District of Wardak Province. He received his early education at a local madrassa in the village of Chak, then enrolled at Nangarhar University in Jalalabad and obtained a BA degree. He then enrolled at the International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan for his master's degree and later did his Ph.D. in Arabic.[2] He also studied for a short time at Darul Uloom Haqqania, Akora Khattak, also in Pakistan, from where he studied Hadith and Fiqh.[3][4] Wardak is the first Taliban leader to hold a PhD.[5]

Career

When the Taliban's first political office opened in Qatar in 2013, he was appointed spokesperson. Wardak and Suhail Shaheen both acted as spokespersons at the same time and served until 2015. In 2018 he was made part of the Qatar office again and has been based there ever since.[6] In September 2020, he was re-appointed spokesman for the Taliban's political office in Doha.[7]

After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, Wardak was nominated to serve as Ambassador to Qatar in October 2021. He was allowed to take over the embassy as First Secretary, but has not received diplomatic accreditation from Qatar.[8][9][10]

In January 2025, he was appointed as the acting Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs after the Taliban leadership removed Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai from his post.[11]

See also

• Suhail Shaheen

References

1. Ansar, Massoud (1 January 2021). "Hakim Dalali Afghan Ambassador to Qatar Laid to Rest". TOLOnews. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
2. "Wardak, Muhammad Naeem Dr".
3. "افغان طالبان کے پہلے پی ایچ ڈی ڈاکٹر اور ترجمان". 11 September 2020.
4. Clark, Kate (24 June 2013). "The Taleban in Qatar (2): Biographies – core and constellation (Amended with more details)". Afghanistan Analysts Network. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
5. "پی ایچ ڈی ہولڈر ڈاکٹر نعیم وردک طالبان کے ترجمان مقرر".
6. "طالبان کا پہلا پی ایچ ڈی ڈاکٹر تعلیم کہاں سے حاصل کی ؟". 11 September 2020.
7. "Taliban Appoints New Chief Negotiator on Eve of Talks".
8. "Afghan Taliban appoint new envoy to run embassy in neighbouring Pakistan". Reuters. Peshawar, Pakistan and Kabul. 29 October 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2022. Two other Taliban officials in the foreign affairs and interior ministries confirmed the appointment to Reuters and said similar arrangements had been made in Qatar
9. Embassy of Afghanistan in Doha [@AfgEmbDoha1] (19 June 2022). ته تشریف راوړ ترڅوله قطرمیشتو افغانانو سره له نېږدي وګوري چې دسفارت دسرپرست محترم ډاکټر محمد نعیم او دسفارت دملګرو لخوایې تود هرکلی وشو له روغبړ وروسته غونډه پیل شوه دغونډي پیل دقرآن کریم په تلاوت پیل شوه ورپسې دتعلیم اوتربیه وزیر محترم مولوي نورالله منیر صاحب وینا وکړه [A closer look at Afghans living in Qatar who were warmly welcomed by Dr. Mohammad Naeem, Acting Head of the Embassy and his colleagues. After greetings, the meeting started.] (Tweet) (in Pashto). Doha. Retrieved 14 December 2022 – via Twitter.
10. "Afghan Designated Ambassador to Qatar Participated in The Middle East Reorganizing Seminar". Bakhtar News Agency. Kabul. 3 October 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
11. "Dr Mohammad Naeem Wardak formally takes over charges of new office". Afghan Islamic Press. Retrieved 27 January 2025.

External links

• Dr.M.Naeem on Twitter