Ashraf Ghani
Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai[a] (born 19 May 1949) is an Afghan former politician, academic, and economist who served as the president of Afghanistan from September 2014 until August 2021, when his government was overthrown by the Taliban.
Ashraf Ghani | |
|---|---|
اشرف غني | |
Ghani in 2018 | |
| 5th President of Afghanistan | |
| In office 29 September 2014 – 15 August 2021 | |
| Vice President | First VP:Second VP: |
| Chief Executive | Abdullah Abdullah |
| Preceded by | Hamid Karzai |
| Succeeded by | Hibatullah Akhundzada (as Supreme Leader) |
| Chancellor of Kabul University | |
| In office 22 December 2004 – 21 December 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Habibullah Habib |
| Succeeded by | Hamidullah Amin |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 2 June 2002 – 14 December 2004 | |
| President | Hamid Karzai |
| Preceded by | Hedayat Amin Arsala |
| Succeeded by | Anwar ul-Haq Ahady |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 May 1949 Logar, Kingdom of Afghanistan |
| Citizenship | Afghanistan[1] United States (1964–2009) |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, including Mariam Ghani |
| Relatives | Hashmat Ghani Ahmadzai (brother) |
| Education | American University of Beirut (BA) Columbia University (MA, PhD) |
Ghani was born in Logar, Afghanistan. After his grade-school education in Afghanistan, he spent much of his time abroad, studying in Lebanon and the United States. After receiving his PhD in Cultural Anthropology from Columbia University in 1983, he taught at various institutions and was an associate professor of Anthropology at Johns Hopkins University.[2] For much of the 1990s, he worked at the World Bank. In December 2001, he returned to Afghanistan after the collapse of the Taliban government. He then served as finance minister in Hamid Karzai's cabinet. He resigned in December 2004 to become the dean of Kabul University. In 2009, Ghani ran in the 2009 Afghan presidential election but came in fourth.[3]
In 2014, Ghani became president after winning the controversial 2014 Afghan presidential election. The election was so disputed that negotiations between Ghani and rival Abdullah Abdullah were mediated by the United States. Ghani became president and Abdullah chief executive, with power split 50-50.[4][5] On 18 February 2020, Ghani was re-elected after a delayed result from the 2019 presidential elections.[6][7] He was sworn in on 9 March 2020.[8]
On 15 August 2021, his term ended abruptly, as the Taliban took over Kabul. Ghani and staff fled Afghanistan and took refuge in the United Arab Emirates.[9][10] He later stated he left in order to avoid further violence, and that staying and dying would have accomplished nothing but adding another tragedy to Afghanistan's history.[11][12]
As president, Ghani was known for his intensity and energetic speeches.[13] He aimed to transform Afghanistan into a technocratic state, winning him support from youth and urban demographics.[14] His cabinets were relatively young and well-educated. Ghani made efforts to make peace with Taliban insurgents[15] and improving relations with Pakistan.[16]
However many of his promises, such as fighting corruption and turning the country into a trade hub between central and south Asia, were left unfulfilled.[14] His position was also weakened by political rivalries,[14] his attempt to lessen the power of ex-warlords,[17] and an uneasy relationship with the United States regarding the war.[15] He was also criticized for being aloof and short-tempered, including being in denial during the Taliban's offensive in 2021.[14][18][19]
Early life (1949–1983)
Ghani was born on 19 May 1949 in the Logar Province in the Kingdom of Afghanistan to Shah Pesand, a clerk worker, and Kawbaba Lodin, who hailed from Kandahar.[20] He belongs to the Ahmadzai Pashtun tribe.[21][22]
Education
Ghani's grade-school education was mostly done in Afghanistan. He attended secondary-level schooling in Kabul.[21] But for the 1966–1967 school year, Ghani studied as a foreign exchange student at Lake Oswego High School (LOHS) in Lake Oswego, Oregon under the name Ashraf Ahmad.[23] The American Field Service sponsored his foreign exchange stay.[24] He served on the student council.[25]
In 1973, he received a Bachelor of Arts in political studies from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. There, he met his future wife, Rula.[21] From 1973 to 1977, Ghani served on the faculty of Kabul University and Aarhus University in Denmark in 1977.
In 1977, he received a Master's in cultural anthropology from Columbia University on a government scholarship.[26]
While Ghani originally intended to stay for two years, the outbreak of the 1978 Saur Revolution led to much of his male family being imprisoned. He stayed at Columbia and received a PhD in cultural anthropology in 1983.[26] His doctoral thesis was titled ‘Production and domination: Afghanistan, 1747–1901’.[27] His thesis advisors included Conrad M. Arensberg, Richard Bulliet, Morton Fried, and Robert F. Murphy.[28]
Career before returning to Afghanistan (1983–2001)
Academic Career (1983–1991)
In 1983, after receiving his PhD, he taught briefly at University of California, Berkeley, and then at Johns Hopkins University as an associate professor from 1983 to 1991. His academic research was on state-building and social transformation. In 1985, he completed a year of fieldwork researching Pakistani madrassas as a Fulbright Scholar.[21]
World Bank (1991–2001)
In 1991, Ghani became Lead Anthropologist at the World Bank. During this time, he spent five years working in China, India, and Russia working on various projects.[21] After the mid-nineties, he switched to working on the Bank's social policy, reviewing country strategies, and designing reform programs.[26] While working for the Bank, he attended the leadership training programs of Harvard-INSEAD and World Bank-Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Return to Afghanistan (2001–2013)
In December 2001, he finally returned to Afghanistan after 24 years of absence. After the ousting of the Taliban that year, Ghani became a key figure in the Afghan Interim Administration, which lasted from December 2001 until July 2002.
He left his job at the World Bank and joined the United Nations as Special Adviser to Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi, the United Nations Secretary-General's special envoy to Afghanistan. In this role, he worked on design and implementation of the Bonn Agreement, which outlined the post-Taliban government of Afghanistan. During this time, he also worked pro bono as Chief Adviser to then-interim president Hamid Karzai. He approved the constitution and worked on preparing the Loya Jirgas that eventually elected Karzai.[26]
Minister of Finance (2002–2004)
On 2 June 2002, Ghani became finance minister of the new Transitional Afghan government under President Karzai. This government would last until 2004, when it was to be replaced by a "fully representative government".
He carried out extensive reforms, including issuing a new currency, computerizing treasury operations, instituting a single treasury account, adopting a policy of balanced budgets and using budgets as the central policy instrument, centralizing revenue collection, tariff reform and overhauling customs. He instituted regular reporting to the cabinet, the public and international stakeholders as a tool of transparency and accountability, and required donors to focus their interventions on three sectors, improving accountability with government counterparts and preparing a development strategy that held Afghans more accountable for their own future development. He assisted with the National Solidarity Program, which covered 13,000 of the country's estimated 20,000 villages.[29]
Chancellor of Kabul University (2004–2008)
After Karzai was elected in October 2004, Ghani had declined to join his cabinet and instead asked to be appointed to the chancellorship at Kabul University.[citation needed] From 22 December 2004 to 21 December 2008, Ghani thus served as Chancellor of Kabul University. He focused on rebuilding the university and its resources after years of conflict and neglect under the Taliban government.
In January 2005, Ghani co-founded the Institute for State Effectiveness[30] with Clare Lockhart, of which he was chairman. The institute focused on the role of the state and transparency in governance. The organization's work was discussed at the UN and World Bank in September 2005. With Lockhart, he later published the book Fixing Failed States: A Framework for Rebuilding a Fractured World in 2008.
In 2005, he became a member of the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor, an independent initiative hosted by the United Nations Development Programme.
Throughout 2005, Ghani gave many keynote speeches across the world, including the American Bar Association's International Rule of Law Symposium, the Trans-Atlantic Policy Network, the annual meeting of the Norwegian Government's development staff, CSIS's meeting on UN reform, the UN–OECD–World Bank's meeting on Fragile States and TED Global.[31][32]
He also regularly gave interviews and contributed to the Financial Times, International Herald Tribune, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.
At the end of 2006, the Financial Times ran a front-page report speculating that Ghani was a top candidate to succeed Kofi Annan as secretary-general of the United Nations. He was quoted as saying, "I hope to win, through ideas."[33][34]
2009 presidential election
In January 2009, an article by Ahmad Majidyar of the American Enterprise Institute included Ghani on a list of fifteen possible candidates in the 2009 Afghan presidential election.[35][36]
On 7 May 2009, Ashraf Ghani registered as a candidate in the 2009 Afghan presidential election. Ghani's campaign emphasized the importance of a representative administration, good governance, a dynamic economy and employment opportunities for the Afghan people.[37] Unlike other major candidates, Ghani asked the Afghan diaspora to support his campaign and provide financial support.[38] He appointed Mohammed Ayub Rafiqi as one of his vice president candidate deputies, and hired Clinton campaign chief strategist James Carville as a campaign advisor.[39]
Preliminary results placed Ghani fourth in a field of 38, securing roughly 3% of the votes.[40]
Chairman of Transition Coordination Commission (2010–2013)
From 2010 to 1 October 2013, he served as chairman of the Afghan Transition Coordination Commission (TCC), which was responsible for transferring power from ISAF/NATO troops to Afghan Security Forces. He travelled across Afghanistan extensively during this time.[26]
On 28 January 2010, Ghani attended the International Conference on Afghanistan in London, pledging his support to help rebuild their country. Ghani presented his ideas to Karzai as an example of the importance of cooperation among Afghans and with the international community, supporting Karzai's reconciliation strategy. Ghani said hearing Karzai's second inaugural address in November 2009 and his pledges to fight corruption, promote reconciliation and replace international security forces persuaded him to help.[41]
Ghani resigned his post on 1 October 2013 in order to run for president in 2014.[26]
Presidency (2014–2021)
After announcing his candidacy for the 2014 elections, Ghani tapped General Abdul Rashid Dostum, a prominent Uzbek politician and former military official in Karzai's government, and Sarwar Danish, an ethnic Hazara who served as the justice minister in Karzai's cabinet, as his vice presidential candidates.[42]
After none of the candidates managed to win more than 50% of the vote in the first round of the election, Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, the two frontrunners from the first round, contested in a runoff election, which was held on 14 June 2014.
Initial results from the run-off elections showed Ghani as the overwhelming favourite to win the elections. However, allegations of electoral fraud resulted in a stalemate, along with threats of violence and the formation of a parallel government by the camp of his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah.[citation needed] On 7 August 2014, US Secretary of State John Kerry flew to Kabul to broker a deal that outlined an extensive audit of nearly 8 million votes and formation of a national unity government with a new role for a chief executive officer who would carry out meaningful functions within the president's administration. After a three-month audit process, which was supervised by the United Nations with financial support from the U.S. government, the Independent Election Commission announced Ghani as president after Ghani agreed to a national unity deal. Initially, the election commission said it would not formally announce specific results. It later released a statement that said Ghani managed to secure 55.4% and Abdullah Abdullah secured 43.5% of the vote, although it declined to release the individual vote results. In September 2019, an explosion near an election rally attended by President Ashraf Ghani killed 24 people and injured 31 others, but Ghani was unhurt.[43]
Ghani signed a law in September 2020 requiring mothers' names to be added to children's ID cards, in addition to fathers' names, which was seen as a win for women's rights activists in Afghanistan.[44]
At age 65, Ghani became the oldest inaugurated Afghan ruler since the foundation of the Durrani Empire in 1747. At his 2019 re-election, at age 70, he overtook Mohammed Daoud Khan to become the oldest incumbent president.
Economy and trade
During his tenure, Ghani strengthened ties with Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan, with which it has made deals to increase mutual trading.[45][46] New trade routes have also been launched within the wider region. The Chabahar Port in Iran allows increased trading with India whilst avoiding Pakistani territory.[47] Plans for a railway line from Khaf, Iran to Herat, Afghanistan were set in motion in 2018, with the railway being completed in 2020.[48][49] In 2017, a railway line from Turkmenistan was extended to Aqina in Afghanistan, the precursor of the "Lapis Lazuli" transport corridor that was signed by Ghani that same year and would link Afghanistan to the Caucasus and the Black Sea.[50] Other regional projects include the CASA-1000 hydroelectricity transmission from Central Asia, and the TAPI gas pipeline, expected to be completed by 2018 and 2019 respectively.[51] In January 2018, at the inauguration of the Khan Steel iron smelting plant in Kabul, Ghani said that he is aiming for Afghanistan to become a steel exporter.[52]
In 2015, a survey conducted by the Afghan news channel TOLO News showed that the popularity of Ashraf Ghani in Afghanistan had fallen dramatically, with only 27.5% of respondents claiming that they were satisfied with his leadership.[53]
Relations with Pakistan and India
Since his election, Ghani wanted to improve relations with Pakistan, which in turn could pave the way for peace talks with the Taliban.[citation needed] He refused to recognize the border with Pakistan, known as the Durand Line, which Pakistan views as an existential issue.[54] He made his first visit to Pakistan on 14 November 2014, meeting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.[55] However, after many terror attacks in Afghanistan which were largely blamed on Pakistan, and failed Taliban peace talks, Ghani grew increasingly cold to Pakistan.[56] Ghani claimed that Pakistan had hit an "undeclared war of aggression" against Afghanistan.[57] Following two deadly Taliban/Haqqani attacks in Kabul in January 2018, Ghani called Pakistan the "center of the Taliban".[58] Tolo News while quoting an unnamed source alleged that Ashraf Ghani had refused to take a call from the Pakistani prime minister, instead he sent a NDS delegation to hand over evidence that the terrorists were supported by Pakistan.[59] However, Afghan envoy Omar Zakhilwal rejected such reports regarding Ghani's phone call rejection with Pakistan prime minister. He stated that no phone call took place between the two leaders and that such reports are baseless.[60] At a July 2021 conference in Tashkent, Ghani accused Pakistan of fomenting violence in Afghanistan through the Taliban; Pakistan accused Afghanistan of helping insurgent groups inside Pakistan (the Tehreek-e-Taliban and the Balochistan Liberation Army).[61]
One of Ghani's major objectives was to improve South Asian ties to transform the region's economy. On his first official visit to India he envisioned “breakfast in Delhi, lunch in Peshawar, and dinner in Kabul–that’s the world we seek!” He voiced the idea that a stable Afghanistan can act as a bridge between Central, South, and West Asia, given the country's centrist location.[62]
Ghani had strong ties with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.[63][64] After Ghani's escape from Afghanistan, Modi spoke of his friendship with him on NPR.[65]
Relations with Taliban
In an interview with Vice News, Ghani said that his 'heart breaks for [the] Taliban'. He further stated that 'Talibans are Afghans and he is president of all Afghans'.[66][67][68] Ashraf Ghani also said that he is willing to offer Afghan passports to the Taliban and to recognise them as a legitimate political group in Afghanistan, as an attempt to strike a peace deal with them.[69]
In March 2021, in an attempt to advance peace talks, Ghani expressed his intentions of convincing the Taliban to hold fresh elections and allow forming of a new government through a democratic process.[70]
Ghani blamed the Taliban for the 2021 Kabul school bombing, but Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid denied involvement in the attack, in a message released to the media.[71][72] Many of the Kabul residents held Ghani responsible for the attack and raised loud chants against the Afghan government and security forces.[73]
On 2 August 2021, Ghani blamed the sudden withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan for the advance of the Taliban and said the latter had not cut ties with terrorist organizations and had escalated attacks against women, which the Taliban denied.[74] On 11 August 2021, Ghani appealed to local warlords and private militias to fight the Taliban and also appealed to a popular uprising against the Taliban.[75] On the same day, Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan reported that the Taliban would not negotiate or hold peace talks with the government as long as Ghani remains as the president.[76]
Flight from Afghanistan
The Taliban took control of Afghanistan on 15 August and Ghani was deposed.[77][78] That day, Ghani left Afghanistan with his wife and two close aides to Uzbekistan as the Taliban captured Kabul. The Arg, the presidential palace, was captured a few hours later by the group. Afghan officials stated that Ghani had left the presidential palace Sunday morning to go to the US embassy. He has since been described as the former president.[79][80][81][82] A senior cabinet minister said that Ghani fled to Tajikistan,[83] however it was then claimed that he landed in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan.[84]
Later that day, Ghani wrote on his Facebook that he thought it was better for him to leave in order to avoid bloodshed and called on the Taliban to protect civilians and said the Taliban now faced a "historic test".[85] On 18 August 2021, the United Arab Emirates acknowledged that Ghani and his family were in that country for "humanitarian considerations."[86] He was granted stay by the government on humanitarian grounds.[87]
On 17 August, the Taliban announced that they were actively working to form a government that would be announced over the coming days.[77] The same day, first vice president Amrullah Saleh asserted that he was acting president, claiming that if the president is absent, escapes, resigns or dies then the first vice president becomes acting president.[88][89] In an 18 August taped address from the UAE, Ghani said he fled to avoid being hanged, and vowed to eventually return to Afghanistan.[90]
Former MP Elay Ershad, who had worked as Ghani's spokeswoman, was scathing in criticism. She said he was "gutless" for fleeing the country.[91] Afghanistan's Ambassador to Tajikistan, Mohammad Zahir Aghbar, stated that Interpol should apprehend Ghani for embezzling public funds.[92] The Russian embassy in Kabul alleged that Ghani fled with "four cars and a helicopter" full of cash and had to leave some money behind as it would not all fit in.[93] Ashraf Ghani, speaking on 18 August 2021 in UAE, has stated that the accusations are baseless.[94] To this day, no evidence of the accusation has been presented. A former senior official stated that Ghani left in haste. He said "He went to Termez in Uzbekistan, where he spent one night and then from there to the UAE (United Arab Emirates). There was no money with him. He literally just had the clothes he was wearing."[95]
On 8 September 2021, Ghani released a video where he apologized to the Afghan people and repeated that he left to avoid "bloody street fighting". He also strongly denied stealing money from the country when he fled. Ghani said that "leaving Kabul was the most difficult decision of my life, but I believed it was the only way to keep the guns silent and save Kabul and her 6 million citizens."[96]
The United Nations removed Ghani's name from its list of heads of state on 15 February 2022.[97] In May 2022, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) released a report on the collapse of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the Afghan government. The SIGAR described Ghani as a "paranoid president... afraid of his own countrymen" and that many of Ghani's dismissals of top military generals "undermined morale" of the ANA. The SIGAR report also reported that Ghani feared that the US was "plotting a coup" against him.[98]
SIGAR released a report on 9 August 2022 on the investigation of Ghani's flight from Kabul. The report could not conclude the Russian embassy claim that he fled with bags of millions of dollars, but added that it was “unlikely to be true” that he and his aides "managed to pack tens of millions in cash", citing difficulties in vehicular transportation, helicopter load, and the short period of time.[99] On the anniversary of Ghani's departure, he commented:
The reason I left was because I did not want to give the Taliban and their supporters the pleasure of yet again humiliating an Afghan president and making him sign over the legitimacy of the government [...] I've never been afraid. You've seen repeatedly rockets have landed around me and I've not moved. And it was a split second decision because they'd entered Kabul and the US embassy had already (been) evacuated.[100]
He also rejected once again the reported millions of cash he flew in, citing a SIGAR report from June 2022 which found that the rumored amount would have been difficult to conceal: "it would be somewhat larger than a standard American three-seater couch. This block would have weighed 3,722 pounds, or nearly two tonnes. The Mi-17 helicopters that the group flew on do not have separate cargo holds. Therefore, all of the cargo would have been visible in the cabin next to the passengers."[101]
Political views
Ghani is a progressive modernist with the belief and goal to "transform Afghanistan from a tribal, patronage-based society to a modern technocratic state".[14] He is a fond admirer of both King Amanullah Khan, who was a progressive Afghan monarch in the 1920s,[102][103] and General Sardar Mohammed Daoud Khan, a former prime minister of the Kingdom of Afghanistan, who served as the first president of the Republic of Afghanistan in the 1970s.[104]
Personal life
Ashraf Ghani is married to Rula Saade,[105] who was born into a Lebanese Christian family.[106] The couple married after they met during their studies at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon during the 1970s.[107] They eventually settled in the United States and obtained U.S. citizenship. However, Ghani renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2009 so he could run in Afghan elections.[1]
Ashraf and Rula Ghani have two children, a daughter, Mariam, a Brooklyn-based visual artist,[108] and a son, Tarek, who was a national security and foreign policy advisor to 2020 presidential candidate, Pete Buttigieg.[109] Both were born in the United States and carry U.S. citizenship and passports. In an unusual move for a politician in Afghanistan, Ghani at his presidential inauguration in 2014 publicly thanked his wife, acknowledging her with an Afghan name, Bibi Gul.[107] "I want to thank my partner, Bibi Gul, for supporting me and Afghanistan," he said. "She has always supported Afghan women and I hope she continues to do so."[110]
Ashraf Ghani also owns 200 acres of land in Surkhab area of Logar province. Abdul Baqi Ahmadzai, who is close to Ashraf Ghani, claims that Ashraf Ghani inherited a lot of land from his father. However, Ashraf Ghani bought this 200 acres of land separately in Logar province.[111]
Ghani lost most of his stomach after suffering from cancer in the 1990s. It is said that Ghani wakes up every morning before five, and reads for two to three hours.[112]
He is the older brother of Hashmat Ghani Ahmadzai, an Afghan politician who is the Grand Council Chieftain of the Kuchis.[113] Unlike his brother, Hashmat Ghani did not flee Afghanistan. When interviewed, he said, "If I were to flee what would become of my people, my tribe. My roots are here, what kind of message would that send if I just fled and left my people in their time of need?"[114]
Controversy
On 2 February 2020, Ashraf Ghani made controversial remarks while talking about Timur and Muhammad of Ghor[115] which angered the Uzbek population of Afghanistan.[116] He made those remarks while delivering a speech to a group of Afghan students on History, Culture, and the National Identity.[116][117] Ghani stated that Muhammad of Ghor destroyed Afghanistan's central irrigation system while Genghis Khan demolished the irrigation system of the northern provinces. Ghani also referred to Turkic conqueror Amir Timur by his Persian-origin epithet "Timur Lang" (Timur the Lame) and stated that Timur wiped-out the irrigation system for Sistan, Farah, and Helmand provinces.[117] His remarks regarding Timur were considered offensive to Uzbeks, according to experts, and drew condemnation from Afghanistan's Uzbek population.[116]
Following his remarks, residents of Faryab province staged protests and demanded an apology from Ashraf Ghani. The protesters threatened that they would take serious action if Ghani did not apologize for his remarks.[118] Abdul Rashid Dostum, former vice president of Afghanistan and an ethnic Uzbek, also demanded an apology from Ashraf Ghani. Bashir Ahmad Tahyanj, spokesperson of the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan, said that "Ghani has a personal bias towards historic figures, honorable ethnicities, the history and culture of the people who live in Afghanistan. This is not his first time.”[116] However, in a statement, the Afghan government palace defended Ghani's remarks and stated that "what Ghani said about Timur was not offensive or insulting".[117][116][119]
Publications
Ghani is the coauthor with Clare Lockhart of Fixing Failed States: A Framework for Rebuilding a Fractured World (2008).[120] Along with Lockhart, he was listed on the 'Top 100 global thinkers list' for 2010 by Foreign Policy.[121]
Notes
- ^ Pashto: محمد اشرف غنی احمدزی [mʊˈhamad aʃˈraf ɣaˈni ahmadˈzai]
See also
References
- ^ a b Afghanistan’s elections: Ghani vs Abdullah, by Brieana Marticorena. The Strategist. 19 August 2014.
- ^ "Ashraf Ghani | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ "A New Turn in the Taliban's War: Hazarajat Under Siege".
- ^ Akhgar, Tameem; Gannon, Kathy (28 September 2019). "Top 5 Afghan presidential candidates in Saturday's election". AP News.
- ^ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Understanding Afghanistan's Chief Executive Officer | DW | 30 September 2014". DW.COM. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ^ Mashal, Mujib (18 February 2020). "After 5-Month Delay, Ashraf Ghani Is Named Winner of Afghan Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- ^ "Ghani named winner of disputed Afghan poll, rival also claims victory". Reuters. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
- ^ "Amid Controversy, Ghani Takes Oath of Office". TOLOnews. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ Graham, Natasha Turak, Emma (18 August 2021). "Afghan President Ashraf Ghani resurfaces in UAE after fleeing Afghanistan, Emirati government says". CNBC. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ "UAE says Afghanistan's Ghani is in Gulf Arab state". Reuters. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ "Afghanistan's former President Ashraf Ghani on the U.S. withdrawal and Taliban takeover". PBS NewsHour. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ "Ashraf Ghani: 'I apologise that I could not make it end differently'". BBC News. 9 September 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ "The rise and fall of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani". France 24. 15 August 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Constable, Pamela (15 August 2021). "Afghan president sought modern reforms, forced out by insurgents". Washington Post. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ a b "Afghan president Ashraf Ghani: intellectual who had no answer to the Taliban". the Guardian. Reuters. 16 August 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ Graham-Harrison, Emma (13 August 2015). "Afghan president in last-ditch attempt to repair ties with Pakistan". the Guardian. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ DesMarais, Scott (9 March 2018). "Afghanistan's Powerbrokers Prepare for 2019 Presidential Elections". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ Bezhan, Frud (16 August 2021). "Ashraf Ghani: The Deeply Polarizing President Who Oversaw The Fall Of Afghanistan". RFE/RL. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ "The Governing Style Of Ashraf Ghani, The Departing Afghan President". NPR.org. 15 August 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ "Database". afghan-bios.info. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Ashraf Ghani". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
- ^ "Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai". Dawn. April 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
- ^ Malee, Patrick (16 August 2021). "Exiled Afghan president attended school in Lake Oswego". KOIN. Portland Tribune. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
- ^ Ding, Jamie (19 August 2021). "Before he rose to lead (and leave) Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani made a mark on an Oregon high school". The Oregonian. Retrieved 21 August 2021. - See copy at Seattle Times
- ^ Daley, Jillian (8 October 2015). "President of Afghanistan attended LOHS". Lake Oswego Review. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f "Lion Of The Desert: Columbia's Deep Connections With Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani – C-Suite Spotlight". Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ "Dr. Mohammad Ashraf Ghani | World Leaders Forum". worldleaders.columbia.edu. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
- ^ Ghani, Ashraf (1982). "Production and domination: Afghanistan, 1747-1901". CiteSeerX 10.1.1.694.6197.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ . Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2006.
- ^ "Institute for State Effectiveness". Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- ^ . The TrueTalk Blog. Archived from the original on 4 October 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- ^ Ashraf Ghani (18 October 2006). "Ashraf Ghani: How to rebuild a broken state - TED Talk - TED.com". ted.com. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- ^ "Ghani joins race to succeed Annan". Financial Times. 17 September 2006. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
- ^ "Sekretarz generalny ONZ. Wybory 2006". Unic.un.org.pl. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
- ^ Ahmad Majidyar (January 2009). (PDF). American Enterprise Institute. Archived from the original on 8 September 2009.
A world-renowned economist, Ahmadzai was a key figure in the formation of the post-Taliban government in Afghanistan. The chairman of the Institute for State Effectiveness, he served as an adviser to the United Nations for the formation of the Bonn Agreement and as finance minister of Afghanistan from 2002 to 2004. His recent harsh criticism of Karzai's government has prompted speculation that he may run for president. An ethnic Pashtun, Ahmadzai has not officially announced his candidacy.
- ^ Rashid, Ahmed (2012). Pakistan in the Brink. Allen Lane. p. 80. ISBN 9781846145858.
- ^ . Ashrafghani.af. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
- ^ . Campaigncontribution.com. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
- ^ "James Carville Joins The Afghan Campaign Trail". NPR.org. NPR. 29 July 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
- ^ "Preliminary Result of Afghanistan Presidential Contest". Sabawoon online. 20 August 2009. from the original on 3 August 2009.
- ^ . www.e-ariana.com. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- ^ . NPR. 20 August 2009. Archived from the original on 31 May 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Blast kills 24 at Afghan election rally, aide says president unhurt". Reuters. 17 September 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
- ^ "Afghan mothers' names added to children's ID cards". BBC News. 18 September 2020.
- ^ Putz, Catherine (6 December 2017). "Ghani and Mirziyoyev Meet, Renew Afghan-Uzbek Ties". The Diplomat. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ "Uzbekistan, Afghanistan readying agreement on trade and cooperation in transit of goods". The Tashkent Times. 13 June 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ Suba Chandran, D. (31 October 2017). "India & Kabul play new round in Great Game: Chabahar". The Indian Express. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ "Route of the Khaf – Herat railway | Railways of Afghanistan". andrewgrantham.co.uk. 17 October 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ "Khaf-Herat railroad to be launched in Iran soon". 7 August 2018.
"Iran-Afghanistan railway networks through Khaf-Herat Railroad will be completed in the next few months," Yazdani said, according to Mehr news agency on August 3
- ^ "Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey create transport corridor". 26 November 2017.
- ^ Rubin, Barnett (30 December 2015). "The TAPI Pipeline and Paths to Peace in Afghanistan". The New Yorker. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ "Our Goal Is To Turn Afghanistan Into A Steel Exporter". TOLOnews.
- ^ "Ashraf Ghani and the Pashtun Dilemma". The Diplomat. 18 January 2015.
- ^ Vinay Kura (27 June 2017). "The Durand Line: A British Legacy Plaguing Afghan-Pakistani Relations". Middle East Institute.
- ^ Islamabad, Agence France-Presse in (14 November 2014). "Afghan president Ashraf Ghani arrives in Islamabad to build Pakistan ties". the Guardian.
- ^ "Ghani and Pakistan". www.thenews.com.pk.
- ^ Najafizada, Eltaf; Kay, Chris (6 June 2017). "Ghani Says Afghanistan Hit by 'Undeclared War' From Pakistan". Bloomberg. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ "Pakistan Is The Center Of Taliban, Ghani Tells The Nation". TOLOnews.
- ^ . 16 April 2018. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018 – via The Economic Times.
- ^ "Afghan Envoy Dismisses Reports on Ghani's phone call Rejection with Pak PM Abbasi". Ariana News. 31 January 2018.
- ^ Gannon, Kathy (15 July 2021). "US, Afghan's neighbors scramble to address Taliban surge". AP News. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
- ^ "Afghanistan's Promise for Regional Connectivity and Peace".
- ^ "India values strong friendship with Afghanistan: PM Modi".
- ^ "Like terrorism, we'll fight coronavirus together, says PM Modi". The Hindu. 20 April 2020.
- ^ "With the U.S. Exit from Afghanistan, India Fears an Increasingly Hostile Region". NPR.
- ^ "'My Heart Breaks for Taliban, They Are Afghans' – Ghani". Ariana News. 14 September 2018. from the original on 14 September 2018.
- ^ "Ashraf Ghani: 'My heart breaks for Taliban'". 1TV News. 15 September 2018. from the original on 16 September 2018.
- ^ "Ashraf Ghani: 'My heart breaks for Taliban'". Afghan Voice Agency. 15 September 2018.
- ^ "Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani offers passports to Taliban in bid to strike peace deal". Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). 1 March 2018. from the original on 2 March 2018.
- ^ Shalizi, Hamid; Greenfield, Charlotte (6 March 2021). "Afghan president says ready to discuss elections to advance talks with Taliban". Reuters. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- ^ Hauser, Jennifer (9 May 2021). "At least 50 killed and over 100 wounded in blast near Kabul girls' school". CNN. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ Held, Amy; Nuyen, Suzanne (9 May 2021). "Bombing Near Kabul School Kills At Least 50, Many Of Them Girls". NPR.org.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Grief and anger after deadly blasts target Afghan school". Al Jazeera. 9 May 2021.
- ^ "Afghan president blames worsening security situation on sudden U.S. pullout". Reuters. 2 August 2021.
- ^ Khan, Omer Farooq (12 August 2021). "Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani tries to unite warlords as Taliban advance". Times of India. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- ^ "Imran Khan says Taliban won't talk to Afghan govt until Ashraf Ghani remains President". Hindustan Times. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Afghan women to have rights within Islamic law, Taliban says". BBC News. 17 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
- ^ Swain, Ashok [@ashoswai] (15 August 2021). "On 15 August 1975, India's friend & President of Bangladesh, Sk Mujibur Rahman was assassinated. On 15 August 2021, India's friend & President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, was deposed and forced to flee. Someone is choosing the dates quite carefully!" (Tweet). Retrieved 19 August 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Rosenberg, Matthew; Nossiter, Adam (16 August 2021). "After 7 Years of Failing to Fix Afghanistan, Ghani Makes a Hasty Escape". New York Times. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
- ^ Dorman, John L (16 August 2021). "Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said in May that the country's government could resist the Taliban 'forever' without US assistance". Business Insider. from the original on 16 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
- ^ "President Ashraf Ghani flees Afghanistan as Taliban enters Kabul". South China Morning Post. Reuters. 15 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ Trofimov, Yaroslav (15 August 2021). "Taliban Take Over Kabul as Afghan President Flees Country". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ "Taliban holding talks aimed at forming 'open, inclusive Islamic government'". 15 August 2021.
- ^ "Kabul falls to the Taliban as the Afghan government collapses and the president flees". The New York Times. 15 August 2021.
- ^ "Afghan president says he left country to avoid bloodshed". Reuters. 15 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ "Taliban violently disperse rare protest, killing 1 person". Associated Press. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ "UAE says Afghanistan's Ghani is in Gulf Arab state". Reuters. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ Landay, Jonathan; Macfie, Nick; Boyle, John (17 August 2021). "Afghan vice president says he is "caretaker" president". Reuters. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
- ^ Wertheimer, Tiffany (ed.). "Afghanistan crisis: Taliban give first press conference in Kabul". BBC News. from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
- ^ Gall, Carlotta (18 August 2021). "Ashraf Ghani says he fled Afghanistan to avoid being lynched". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- ^ "Afghan president Ashraf Ghani said he was 'going to a meeting' before fleeing by helicopter". inews.co.uk. 17 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ "Afghanistan Embassy in Tajikistan demands arrest of Ashraf Ghani over 'treasury theft'". India Today. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ "Russia says Afghan president fled with cars and helicopter full of cash - RIA". Reuters. 16 August 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
- ^ "Ghani denies taking large sums of money as he fled Afghanistan". Al Jazeera. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ Walsh, Nick Paton (20 August 2021). "Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled with only the clothes on his back, senior adviser says". CNN. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ "Ashraf Ghani apologises to Afghans, says he fled to ensure peace". Al Jazeera. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- ^ Taieb, Rajab (22 February 2022). "Ghani Removed From UN Heads of State List". TOLOnews. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ George, Susannah (18 May 2022). "U.S. watchdog details collapse of Afghan security forces". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ^ Posner, Gerald (10 August 2022). "How Much U.S. Money Did Departing Afghan Officials Steal? How Much Cash Fits On A Helicopter?". Forbes. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ Faiez, Rahim (14 August 2022). "A year on, ex-Afghan leader defends role in Taliban takeover". ABC News. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
- ^ Raj, Yashwant (14 August 2022). "Ashraf Ghani says he fled to deny Taliban another chance to 'humiliate' a President". Daijiworld. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
- ^ "Mohammad Ashraf Ghani joins presidential race". Salam Watandar. 20 January 2019.
- ^ Sidiqi, Nasir Ahamad (21 October 2018). "Afghans earned democracy under Ghazi Amanullah Khan: Ghani". Pajhwok News.
- ^ "Daoud's Footprints: how Afghanistan's First President Influences Ghani". The Globe Post. 7 November 2018.
Not surprisingly, as his popularity has been eroding among non-Pashtuns, the imitation of Daoud has served Ghani as a tool for promoting his profile amongst Pashtuns.
- ^ Tanya Goudsouzian. . aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- ^ "Al Arabiya: Afghanistan's next first lady, a Christian Lebanese-American?". alarabiya.net. 5 April 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- ^ a b Alexander, Harriet (29 September 2014). "Ashraf Ghani inaugurated: Is Afghanistan ready for a high-profile first lady?". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- ^ Walsh, Declan; Nordland, Rod (14 October 2014). "Jolting Some, Afghan Leader Brings Wife Into the Picture". The New York Times.
- ^ "Tarek Ghani". National Cable Satellite Corporation. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ Hodge, Nathan; Stancati, Margherita (29 September 2014). "Ghani Sworn In as Afghan President". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- ^ Azizi, Abdul Maqsood (22 January 2019). "Taliban collect most part of crop harvest from Ghani's land". Pajhwok News.
- ^ Packer, George (27 June 2016). "Afghanistan's Theorist-in-Chief". The New Yorker. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- ^ "Poverty, violence put Kuchi nomads on road to nowhere". Union Democrat. 30 May 2006. p. 4B. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
- ^ Latifi, Ali M. "Afghans need to accept Taliban rule, says ex-president's brother". Al Jazeera. from the original on 21 August 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- ^ "Is the ethnic look correct in the history of the region?". 8am.af (in Persian). Retrieved 2 February 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Insulting any tribe, ethnicity, group, is offensive by law". Arina News. 2 February 2020.
- ^ a b c "Ghani's remarks about Timur Gurkani spark anger among Afghanistan's Uzbeks". Khaama Press. 2 February 2020.
- ^ "Faryab resident protest". Aamaj News (in Persian). 2 February 2020.
- ^ "Dustom Calls on President Ghani to Apologize For His Remarks About Uzbeks". Reporterly.net. 2 February 2020.
- ^ "Institute for State Effectiveness Our Story - Institute for State Effectiveness". Effectivestates.org. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- ^ . Atlantic Council. 12 January 2011. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
External links
- Profile: Ashraf Ghani – BBC News
- Afghan Elections Dossier – Ashraf Ghani, August 2009 – Radio France Internationale
- Ashraf Ghani at TED
- AFGHANISTAN’S THEORIST-IN-CHIEF; President Ashraf Ghani is an expert on failed states. Can he save his country from collapse? 4 July 2016 The New Yorker issue by George Packer
- BBC Radio 4 Profile
- Appearances on C-SPAN