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Abdul Latif Pedram

December 15, 2023

Abdul Latīf Pedrām (Persian: عبداللطيف پدرام; born 29 July 1963) is a politician and a Member of Parliament in Afghanistan. He emerged as a controversial figure in the press and political circles for campaigning for women's personal rights, a taboo subject in Afghanistan's culture.[1][2] Currently, he is the leader of the National Congress Party of Afghanistan and was one of the nine representatives of Badakhshan province in the lower house of parliament. He has since been living in exile. His hometown fell prior to Kabul.

Abdul Latīf Pedrām
عبداللطيف پدرام
Abdul Latif Pedram c. 2014
Personal details
Born (1963-07-29) 29 July 1963 (age 60)
Maimay, Badakhshan, Kingdom of Afghanistan
NationalityAfghanistani citizenship
Political partyOrganisation of Toilers' Fedayan of Afghanistan
National Congress Party of Afghanistan
Residence(s)Dushanbe, Tajikistan
OccupationPolitician and Parliamentarian
ProfessionWriter, Professor, Historian, Poet, Journalist and Politician
EthnicityTajik

Biography edit

Born in Maimay, Badakhshan on the 29th of July 1963 to a Persian-speaking Tājīk family, Latīf Pedrām is a writer, poet, journalist, and professor of Persian literature.[1] He was director of the library of the Hakīm Nāṣer Ḫoṣrow Balḫī Cultural Center. First a supporter of the communist government, he soon began to openly criticize and oppose the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and turned toward Ahmad Shah Masood. He stayed in Afghanistan during most of the war years, moving around the country to be able to pursue his activities. Latīf Pedrām was finally forced into exile by the advance of the Taliban. Before returning to Afghanistan after the demise of the Taliban, he lived for a while in France, where he studied political sciences and attempted to promote Afghanistan's Persian poetry and literature.

Political views edit

Latīf Pedrām is a strong supporter of secularism, federalism and decentralization in Afghanistan. He denounces corruption and strongly opposes Islamic fundamentalism.[3][1] He advocates an independent, but decentralized Afghanistan, and believes that the country should be divided into autonomous regions under the control of regional capitals.[1]

Although his party is multi-ethnic and is, so far, the only opposition party that is not linked to an armed group,[4] he is regarded by some as a secular Tajik nationalist politician. Perhaps his most controversial statement is the demand for a name-change in Afghanistan. In many publications and articles, he proposed the change of the name "Afghanistan" to "Khorasan", the medieval name of the region, in order to settle some inter-ethnic feuds. His statement is based on the fact that the current name of the country is synonymous with "Land of Pashtuns".

Presidential elections 2004 edit

Main article: 2004 Afghan presidential election

Pedram received the 5th most votes during the 2004 elections,[5] with approximately 1.4% of the total ballots counted, and approximately 17% of the ballots in his home province Badakhshan - being the strongest of the small candidates.[6] Following the outcome, he criticized the government and the results, saying that "large-scale fraud had occurred", which was "completely shameful."[7] Prior to the votes, Pedram had argued that the presidential election should be delayed because of insecurity and to arrange for the whole Afghan diaspora to vote.[8]

2008 controversy edit

In February 2008, an alleged audio recording of Pedram was aired by various TV channels in Afghanistan, claiming that Pedram had "disrespected" and "insulted" former King of Afghanistan, Amanullah Khan, who is regarded as a "national hero" by many in the country.[9][10][11] However, In an interview on Khorasan TV he denied this claim and said that his voice was tampered with.[citation needed] This led to hot editorial crossfires among the press and in the Parliament and Cabinet, echoing with ethnic conflicts when ethnic blocks were identified supporting and criticizing Pedram. Following this, the government of Afghanistan tried banning the National Congress Party of Afghanistan and ordered that "comments about former kings, the president and Jihadi leaders are not allowed." Since the incident, Pedram lived under house arrest in Kabul until November 2008.[12] While expressing its concern regarding the regression of democracy in Afghanistan one year before the 2009 presidential elections, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) called for the unconditional release of Latīf Pedrām.[4]

2009 Presidential election edit

In January 2009 an article by Aḥmad Madjidyar of the American Enterprise Institute included Pedrām on a list of fifteen possible candidates in the controversial 2009 Afghan Presidential election.[13] Preliminary results placed Pedrām eleventh in a field of 38 candidates[14] and according to the controversial Independent Election Committee (IEC), he ultimately received 0.34% of the votes.[15] According to IEC results, Pedrām received 6,686 votes in his home province of Badakhshan,[16] considerably lower than the 33,510 votes he received during the 2004 presidential election.[17]

2010 Parliamentary election edit

In the 2010 Afghan parliamentary election, Pedram received 8,469 votes in Badakhshan, being the third representative from that province to be elected into the parliament, after Fawzia Koofi and Zalmai Mojadidi.[18]

Political Vision edit

Latif Pedram is the founder and leader of Afghanistan National Congress Party and the founder of the Tajik's Council of Afghanistan. Tajiks constituted the main anti-Taliban fighting force in the past, known as Northern Alliance or United Islamic Front for Salvation of Afghanistan. Latif Pedram's political vision is to empower the human rights of minorities like Pashaiyis, Parachis, Hazaras and other ethnicities and to promote equality, brotherhood among the different ethnicities and possibly even a name change of the country from Afghanistan to a non-tribal name.[citation needed]

Awards edit

Pedram has received several international awards, including:

He is also an honorary member of:

  • The International Parliament of Writers and a guest of the city of Suresnes in France
  • The "Association of the Persian speakers of the World" ("Peyvand") and member of the board of editors of Peyvand journal

Quotes edit

It is obvious for everyone that Karzai could not get 15 percent of the votes if the election had been fair [...] Now if Karzai or anybody else becomes the president of the country as a result of this election, he will be a false president.[7] - Comment on the presidential elections in October 2004

The previous Taliban foreign affairs minister, Wakil Ahmed Mutawakel [...] and many other [Taliban] are living openly in Kabul. Some of these leaders and other [in]famous murderers during the Taliban regime have seats in the National Assembly. Under these conditions, Afghans have the right also to wonder what the foreign forces are doing in their country.[19]

As a non-religious and multiethnic movement, our project is based on a national economic cohesion so that all Afghan ethnic groups participate in the national decision-making. But we have to recognize the realities: the province of Herat and the province of Paktia, live a century apart from each other; if the fundamentalists who are powerful in certain provinces of the south oppose the opening of schools in the territory they control, why allow them to impose their rule in other more advanced provinces!?[19] - Comment on Afghan president Hamid Karzai's remarks to "invite moderate Taliban into Afghanistan's new government".

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "FRONTLINE/WORLD Fellows . AFGHANISTAN - Without Warlords . A Secular Politician". www.pbs.org. PBS.
  2. ^ Амири, М. (2017-05-01). "Абдул Латиф Педрам: Афганистан должен стать федеративным государством". Афганистан.ру (Journal). from the original on 2017-05-01.
  3. ^ Moslih, Hashmatallah. "Q&A: Afghanistan's Tajiks plea for federalism". www.aljazeera.com.
  4. ^ a b "Democracy in Danger". International Federation for Human Rights.
  5. ^ Afghanistan - Country Fact File
  6. ^ T. Ruttig, Islamists, Leftists – and a Void in the Center. Afghanistan's Political Parties and where they come from (1902–2006), Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Germany, PDF 2013-05-24 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ a b Gall, Carlotta (October 24, 2004). "Karzai Secures Victory in Afghan Election". The New York Times.
  8. ^ . www.iran-press-service.com. 8 September 2004. Archived from the original on 2020-08-15.
  9. ^ Clements, F. (2003). Conflict in Afghanistan: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 28. ISBN 9781851094028. Retrieved 2014-11-23.
  10. ^ "Afghanland.com Afghanistan Amir Amanullah Khan Ghazi". afghanland.com. Retrieved 2014-11-23.
  11. ^ . afghan-web.com. Archived from the original on 2014-12-09. Retrieved 2014-11-23.
  12. ^ "Renewed calls for the liberation of Latif Pedram". fidh.org. Retrieved 2014-11-23.
  13. ^ Ahmad Majidyar (January 2009). (PDF). American Enterprise Institute. Archived from the original on 2009-09-08. An ethnic Tajik, Pedram is leader of the National Congress Party of Afghanistan. He is a staunch supporter of federalism and secularism and opposes the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan. He became a rather controversial politician after insulting the late King Muhammad Zahir Shah and proposing a name change for Afghanistan. He won the fifth most votes (1.4 percent) in the 2004 presidential election. He has already announced his intention to run.
  14. ^ . Sabawoon online. 2009-08-20. Archived from the original on 2009-08-03.
  15. ^ . Archived from the original on 2009-11-03. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  16. ^ . Archived from the original on 2009-11-04. Retrieved 2009-11-03.
  17. ^ . Archived from the original on 2009-06-27. Retrieved 2014-11-23.
  18. ^ Official results for Badakhshan; IEC, 2010
  19. ^ a b Interview with "L'Humanité", January 1, 2007, (LINK)

External links edit

  •   Media related to Abdul Latif Pedram at Wikimedia Commons
  • Democracy in Danger: Latif Pedram placed under house arrest
  • PBS Frontline: World: Afghanistan Without Warlords, a Secular Politician
  • An interview with l'Humanité (in English, January 1, 2007)
  • Institute for War and Peace Reporting: Abdul Latif Pedram: Intellectual Adds Controversy to Campaign
  • National Congress Party of Afghanistan Website
  • Tajikam Portal

December 15, 2023
abdul, latif, pedram, abdul, latīf, pedrām, persian, عبداللطيف, پدرام, born, july, 1963, politician, member, parliament, afghanistan, emerged, controversial, figure, press, political, circles, campaigning, women, personal, rights, taboo, subject, afghanistan, . Abdul Latif Pedram Persian عبداللطيف پدرام born 29 July 1963 is a politician and a Member of Parliament in Afghanistan He emerged as a controversial figure in the press and political circles for campaigning for women s personal rights a taboo subject in Afghanistan s culture 1 2 Currently he is the leader of the National Congress Party of Afghanistan and was one of the nine representatives of Badakhshan province in the lower house of parliament He has since been living in exile His hometown fell prior to Kabul Abdul Latif Pedramعبداللطيف پدرامAbdul Latif Pedram c 2014Personal detailsBorn 1963 07 29 29 July 1963 age 60 Maimay Badakhshan Kingdom of AfghanistanNationalityAfghanistani citizenshipPolitical partyOrganisation of Toilers Fedayan of AfghanistanNational Congress Party of AfghanistanResidence s Dushanbe TajikistanOccupationPolitician and ParliamentarianProfessionWriter Professor Historian Poet Journalist and PoliticianEthnicityTajik Contents 1 Biography 2 Political views 3 Presidential elections 2004 4 2008 controversy 5 2009 Presidential election 6 2010 Parliamentary election 7 Political Vision 8 Awards 9 Quotes 10 References 11 External linksBiography editBorn in Maimay Badakhshan on the 29th of July 1963 to a Persian speaking Tajik family Latif Pedram is a writer poet journalist and professor of Persian literature 1 He was director of the library of the Hakim Naṣer Ḫoṣrow Balḫi Cultural Center First a supporter of the communist government he soon began to openly criticize and oppose the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and turned toward Ahmad Shah Masood He stayed in Afghanistan during most of the war years moving around the country to be able to pursue his activities Latif Pedram was finally forced into exile by the advance of the Taliban Before returning to Afghanistan after the demise of the Taliban he lived for a while in France where he studied political sciences and attempted to promote Afghanistan s Persian poetry and literature Political views editLatif Pedram is a strong supporter of secularism federalism and decentralization in Afghanistan He denounces corruption and strongly opposes Islamic fundamentalism 3 1 He advocates an independent but decentralized Afghanistan and believes that the country should be divided into autonomous regions under the control of regional capitals 1 Although his party is multi ethnic and is so far the only opposition party that is not linked to an armed group 4 he is regarded by some as a secular Tajik nationalist politician Perhaps his most controversial statement is the demand for a name change in Afghanistan In many publications and articles he proposed the change of the name Afghanistan to Khorasan the medieval name of the region in order to settle some inter ethnic feuds His statement is based on the fact that the current name of the country is synonymous with Land of Pashtuns Presidential elections 2004 editMain article 2004 Afghan presidential election Pedram received the 5th most votes during the 2004 elections 5 with approximately 1 4 of the total ballots counted and approximately 17 of the ballots in his home province Badakhshan being the strongest of the small candidates 6 Following the outcome he criticized the government and the results saying that large scale fraud had occurred which was completely shameful 7 Prior to the votes Pedram had argued that the presidential election should be delayed because of insecurity and to arrange for the whole Afghan diaspora to vote 8 2008 controversy editIn February 2008 an alleged audio recording of Pedram was aired by various TV channels in Afghanistan claiming that Pedram had disrespected and insulted former King of Afghanistan Amanullah Khan who is regarded as a national hero by many in the country 9 10 11 However In an interview on Khorasan TV he denied this claim and said that his voice was tampered with citation needed This led to hot editorial crossfires among the press and in the Parliament and Cabinet echoing with ethnic conflicts when ethnic blocks were identified supporting and criticizing Pedram Following this the government of Afghanistan tried banning the National Congress Party of Afghanistan and ordered that comments about former kings the president and Jihadi leaders are not allowed Since the incident Pedram lived under house arrest in Kabul until November 2008 12 While expressing its concern regarding the regression of democracy in Afghanistan one year before the 2009 presidential elections the International Federation for Human Rights FIDH called for the unconditional release of Latif Pedram 4 2009 Presidential election editIn January 2009 an article by Aḥmad Madjidyar of the American Enterprise Institute included Pedram on a list of fifteen possible candidates in the controversial 2009 Afghan Presidential election 13 Preliminary results placed Pedram eleventh in a field of 38 candidates 14 and according to the controversial Independent Election Committee IEC he ultimately received 0 34 of the votes 15 According to IEC results Pedram received 6 686 votes in his home province of Badakhshan 16 considerably lower than the 33 510 votes he received during the 2004 presidential election 17 2010 Parliamentary election editIn the 2010 Afghan parliamentary election Pedram received 8 469 votes in Badakhshan being the third representative from that province to be elected into the parliament after Fawzia Koofi and Zalmai Mojadidi 18 Political Vision editLatif Pedram is the founder and leader of Afghanistan National Congress Party and the founder of the Tajik s Council of Afghanistan Tajiks constituted the main anti Taliban fighting force in the past known as Northern Alliance or United Islamic Front for Salvation of Afghanistan Latif Pedram s political vision is to empower the human rights of minorities like Pashaiyis Parachis Hazaras and other ethnicities and to promote equality brotherhood among the different ethnicities and possibly even a name change of the country from Afghanistan to a non tribal name citation needed Awards editPedram has received several international awards including The Prix Hellman Helmet Hellman Helmet Prize by Human Rights Watch in July 1999 A special grant from Reporters sans Frontieres in December 1998He is also an honorary member of The International Parliament of Writers and a guest of the city of Suresnes in France The Association of the Persian speakers of the World Peyvand and member of the board of editors of Peyvand journalQuotes editIt is obvious for everyone that Karzai could not get 15 percent of the votes if the election had been fair Now if Karzai or anybody else becomes the president of the country as a result of this election he will be a false president 7 Comment on the presidential elections in October 2004 The previous Taliban foreign affairs minister Wakil Ahmed Mutawakel and many other Taliban are living openly in Kabul Some of these leaders and other in famous murderers during the Taliban regime have seats in the National Assembly Under these conditions Afghans have the right also to wonder what the foreign forces are doing in their country 19 As a non religious and multiethnic movement our project is based on a national economic cohesion so that all Afghan ethnic groups participate in the national decision making But we have to recognize the realities the province of Herat and the province of Paktia live a century apart from each other if the fundamentalists who are powerful in certain provinces of the south oppose the opening of schools in the territory they control why allow them to impose their rule in other more advanced provinces 19 Comment on Afghan president Hamid Karzai s remarks to invite moderate Taliban into Afghanistan s new government References edit a b c d FRONTLINE WORLD Fellows AFGHANISTAN Without Warlords A Secular Politician www pbs org PBS Amiri M 2017 05 01 Abdul Latif Pedram Afganistan dolzhen stat federativnym gosudarstvom Afganistan ru Journal Archived from the original on 2017 05 01 Moslih Hashmatallah Q amp A Afghanistan s Tajiks plea for federalism www aljazeera com a b Democracy in Danger International Federation for Human Rights Afghanistan Country Fact File T Ruttig Islamists Leftists and a Void in the Center Afghanistan s Political Parties and where they come from 1902 2006 Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Germany PDF Archived 2013 05 24 at the Wayback Machine a b Gall Carlotta October 24 2004 Karzai Secures Victory in Afghan Election The New York Times ELECTIONS sic CAMPAINING sic STARTED IN AFGANISTAN sic Iran Press Service www iran press service com 8 September 2004 Archived from the original on 2020 08 15 Clements F 2003 Conflict in Afghanistan A Historical Encyclopedia ABC CLIO p 28 ISBN 9781851094028 Retrieved 2014 11 23 Afghanland com Afghanistan Amir Amanullah Khan Ghazi afghanland com Retrieved 2014 11 23 Afghanistan Online Biography Amanullah Khan afghan web com Archived from the original on 2014 12 09 Retrieved 2014 11 23 Renewed calls for the liberation of Latif Pedram fidh org Retrieved 2014 11 23 Ahmad Majidyar January 2009 Afghanistan s Presidential Election PDF American Enterprise Institute Archived from the original on 2009 09 08 An ethnic Tajik Pedram is leader of the National Congress Party of Afghanistan He is a staunch supporter of federalism and secularism and opposes the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan He became a rather controversial politician after insulting the late King Muhammad Zahir Shah and proposing a name change for Afghanistan He won the fifth most votes 1 4 percent in the 2004 presidential election He has already announced his intention to run Preliminary Result of Afghanistan Presidential Contest Sabawoon online 2009 08 20 Archived from the original on 2009 08 03 IEC 2009 Election Results Archived from the original on 2009 11 03 Retrieved 2009 10 23 IEC 2009 Election Results Archived from the original on 2009 11 04 Retrieved 2009 11 03 Afghanistan Election Results 2004 Archived from the original on 2009 06 27 Retrieved 2014 11 23 Official results for Badakhshan IEC 2010 a b Interview with L Humanite January 1 2007 LINK External links edit nbsp Media related to Abdul Latif Pedram at Wikimedia Commons Democracy in Danger Latif Pedram placed under house arrest PBS Frontline World Afghanistan Without Warlords a Secular Politician LibertyRadio org Biography An interview with l Humanite in English January 1 2007 Institute for War and Peace Reporting Abdul Latif Pedram Intellectual Adds Controversy to Campaign National Congress Party of Afghanistan Website Tajikam Portal Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Abdul Latif Pedram amp oldid 1169501108, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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