Haneef Atmar

Mohammad Haneef Atmar
محمد حنیف اتمر
Atmar in meeting with Ali Shamkhani in Tehran, August 2016
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
4 April 2020 – 15 August 2021
Acting: 4 April 2020 – 4 February 2021
PresidentAshraf Ghani
Preceded byMohammad Haroon Chakhansuri (acting)[1][2]
Succeeded byAmir Khan Muttaqi (acting)
National Security Adviser of Afghanistan
In office
1 November 2014 – 25 August 2018
PresidentAshraf Ghani
Preceded byShaida Mohammad Abdali
Succeeded byHamdullah Mohib
Minister of Interior
In office
11 October 2008 – 6 June 2010
PresidentHamid Karzai
Preceded byAhmad Moqbel Zarar
Succeeded byBismillah Khan Mohammadi
Minister of Education
In office
2 May 2006[3] – 1 October 2008
PresidentHamid Karzai
Preceded byNoor Mohammad Qarqin
Succeeded byGhulam Farooq Wardak
Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development
In office
2002[3]–2008
Succeeded byMohammad Ehsan Zia
Personal details
Born (1968-09-10) 10 September 1968 (age 56)
Laghman, Afghanistan
Political partyPDPA (until 1992)
Truth and Justice (since 2011)
Military service
AllegianceAfghanistan Afghanistan
Branch/service KhAD
Battles/wars

Mohammad Haneef Atmar (Pashto: محمد حنیف اتمر; born 10 September 1968)[4] is an Afghan politician and former KhAD agent.[5] He served as the Minister of interior until he was removed from the Ministry by Hamid Karzai in the wake of attacks on the June 2010 Afghan Peace Jirga.[6][7] Before that he worked with several international humanitarian organisations and served as Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development and Minister of Education. In 2011, he was part of the Right and Justice party. During his time in office, he has visited several countries to get funding to stabilise Afghanistan.

Atmar served as the National Security Advisor to Ashraf Ghani from 2014 to 2018, when he resigned due to disagreement with Ghani on certain issues. In late 2018, Atmar announced his candidacy for the April 2019 presidential elections, indicating he firmly believes a peace deal with the Taliban is possible.[8] He later withdrew his candidature. On 4 April 2020, he was appointed as the acting foreign minister,[9] and approved on a permanent basis by the Wolesi Jirga on 21 November 2020.[10] He was sworn in on 4 February 2021.[11] He fled to Turkey after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August 2021.[12]

  1. ^ "Haneef Atmar Appointed as Acting Foreign Minister". TOLOnews. 4 April 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Chakhansuri Officially Takes Charge as Acting FM". TOLOnews. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference USAID was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Ministers of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan: Mohammad Hanif Atmar". Embassy of Afghanistan, Washington, DC. Archived from the original on 3 July 2009. Retrieved 23 March 2009.
  5. ^ Burns, John F. (11 October 2008). "Afghan President, Pressured, Reshuffles Cabinet". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 March 2009.
  6. ^ "Afghan officials resign over attack". 6 June 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  7. ^ "Afghan interior, intel chiefs replaced over attack"[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ "Afghanistan's Most Powerful Person Announces Bid for April Presidential Elections". The Diplomat. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  9. ^ "Haneef Atmar appointed acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan". uniindia.com. 4 April 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  10. ^ "House of Representatives Gives Ten Ministerial Nominees Vote of Confidence". 8am.af. 21 November 2020. Archived from the original on 22 March 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference MFAsworn was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).