Afghanistan - Leading Political Parties
Functioning political parties may be critical to Afghanistan's long-term democratic development and stability but they are generally unpopular and misunderstood, prompting most Afghan politicians to avoid affiliation. By 2010 the five major armed groups operating in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban in late 2001 are now some of the strongest parties: Jamiat-i Milli Islami originally led by Ahmed Shah Massoud (later Rabbani, father then son); Junbesh-e Milli Islami led by Abdul Rashid Dostum; Hezb-e Hawdat-i Islami led by Karim Khalili (there are four or five branches, one of which is led by Mohaqqeq), Harakat-i Islami led by Mohammed Asif Mohseni; and Dawat-i Islami led by Abdul Rasul Sayyaf.
| Ethnic Group | Party | Leader | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tajik | Jamiat-i Milli Islami Jamiat-i-Islami Islamic Society of Afghanistan Islamic Society |
Salahuddin RABBANI | ||
| Tajik | Nahzat-e-Mili Afghanistan National Movement of Afghanistan Afghan Nationalist Party |
Ahmad Wali MASOOUD [Ahmad Wali Masood] | ||
| Tajik / NONE | Hezb-e-Kangra-e-Mili-e-Afghanistan National Congress Party of Afghanistan | Abdul Latif Pedram | ||
| Uzbek |
Junbesh-e Milli Islami Jonbesh-i-Milli Islami (Hizb-e-Junbish-e-Melli-e-Islami Afghanistan) National Islamic Movement National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan | Abdul Rashid DOSTAM Sayed NOORULLAH | ||
| Pashtun | Dawat-i Islami Hezb-e-Dawat-e-Islami [ex-Ittehad-e Islami] Afghanistan's Islamic Mission Organization [ex Ittihad-i-Islami Barai Azadi Afghanistan Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan] | Ustad Abdul Rasoul SAYYAF Abdul Rasul SAYYAF Rasool Sayyaf | ||
| Pashtun | Afghan Millat Afghan Social Democratic Party | Anwar-ul-Haq Ahady [Anwarul Haq AHADI] | ||
| Pashtun | Hezb-e-Islami Afghanistan Islamic Party of Afghanistan | Mohammad Khalid FAROOQI, Abdul Hadi ARGHANDIWAL [Abdul Hadi Arghandewal] | ||
| Pashtun | Hezb-e-Nahzat-e-Hambastagee Mili-e-Afghanistan National Solidarity Movement of Afghanistan |
Pir Sayed Eshaq GAILANEE [Sayed Ishaq Gailani] | ||
| Qadiriyya Sufi Arab | Mahaz-i-Milli-Islami National Islamic Front Mahaz-e-Mili Islami Afghanistan National Islamic Front of Afghanistan | Pir Sayed Ahmad GAILANEE [Sayed Ahamad GAILANI] | ||
| Hazara | Hezb-e-Paiwand Mili Afghanistan National Solidarity Party of Afghanistan National Linkage Party of Afghanistan Afghan National Unity Party |
Sayed Mansoor NADREEI Sayed Mansoor NADERY | ||
| Hazara | Hezb-e Harakat-e-Islami-e-Afghanistan Islamic Movement of Afghanistan | Sayed Hussain ANWARI | ||
| Hazara |
Hezb-e Hawdat-i Islami Wahdat-e-Islami Khalili Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami-e-Afghanistan Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan | Mohammad Karim KHALILI | ||
| Hazara | Wahdat-e-Islami Mardoom-e-Afghanistan Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami Mardom-e-Afghanistan Islamic Unity Party of the People of Afghanistan | Haji Mohammad MOHAQQEQ [Mohammad Mohaqiq] | ||
| Hazara | Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami-e-Melat-e-Afghanistan Islamic Unity of the Nation of Afghanistan Party | Qurban Ali URFANI | ||
| Hazara | Hizb-e-Mutahed Islami Afghanistan United Islamic Party of Afghanistan |
Ustad Mohammad AKBARI | ||
| NONE | Haq-wa-Edalat Truth and Justice Law and Justice Party | Hanif ATMAR | ||
| PDPA-Khalq | Hezb-e-Refah-e-Afghanistan Afghanistan's Welfare Party | Meer Asef ZAEEFI [Meer Mohammad Asef Zaeefi] | ||
Getting this all sorted out is no cake walk, given the irregularity of party nomenclature, and even the irregularity with which personal names are rendered. Matters are not helped by the decision of CIA somewhere along the way to cease providing the Afghan names of parties, and only providing the English rendering of the names that CIA thinks ought to be used [a careful observer will note these can change over time, as the National Solidarity Party of 2008 headed by Sayed Mansoor NADREEI became the National Linkage Party of 2012 run by Sayed Mansoor NADERY ]. | ||||
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