Naeem Wardak
{{Short description|Afghan diplomat}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| birth_name = Mohammad Naeem Wardak
| native_name = ډاکټر محمد نعیم وردک
| image =
| image_upright =
| caption =
| office = Acting Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
| term_start = 27 January 2025
| term_end =
| 1blankname = Supreme Leader
| 1namedata = Hibatullah Akhundzada
| 2blankname = Minister
| 2namedata = Amir Khan Muttaqi (acting)
| predecessor = Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai
| successor =
| office2 = First Secretary of the Afghan Embassy in Qatar
| term_start2 = October 2021
| term_end2 = 27 January 2025
| predecessor2 = Abdul Hakim Dalili (as ambassador){{cite news |last1=Ansar |first1=Massoud |title=Hakim Dalali Afghan Ambassador to Qatar Laid to Rest |url=https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-168915 |access-date=14 December 2022 |work=TOLOnews |date=1 January 2021}}
| successor2 = Suhail Shaheen{{cite web |title=Taliban Confirms Afghanistan International's Report On Appointment Of New Deputy FM |url=https://www.afintl.com/en/202501278546 |publisher=Afghanistan International |access-date=2025-01-27}}
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1985}}
| birth_place = Chak District, Wardak Province, Afghanistan
| party = {{flagicon|Afghanistan|Taliban}} Taliban
| alma_mater = Nangarhar University
International Islamic University, Islamabad
Darul Uloom Haqqania
}}
Mohammad Naeem Wardak ({{Langx|ps|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.{{Cite web|url=https://talibantracker.mei.edu/english/taliban/leadership-tracker/Dr-Mohammad-Naeem-Wardak |title=Dr. Muhammad Naeem Wardak|publisher=TALIBAN LEADERSHIP TRACKER}} He also studied for a short time at Darul Uloom Haqqania, Akora Khattak, also in Pakistan, from where he studied Hadith and Fiqh.{{Cite web|url=https://www.independenturdu.com/node/46961|title=افغان طالبان کے پہلے پی ایچ ڈی ڈاکٹر اور ترجمان|date=11 September 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/reports/war-and-peace/the-taleban-in-qatar-2-biographies-core-and-constellation-amended-with-more-details/|title = The Taleban in Qatar (2): Biographies – core and constellation (Amended with more details)|date = 24 June 2013|publisher=Afghanistan Analysts Network|first=Kate|last=Clark|accessdate=21 May 2023}} Wardak is the first Taliban leader to hold a PhD.{{Cite web|url=https://jang.com.pk/news/819498|title = پی ایچ ڈی ہولڈر ڈاکٹر نعیم وردک طالبان کے ترجمان مقرر}}
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.{{Cite web|url=https://dailypakistan.com.pk/11-Sep-2020/1182416|title=طالبان کا پہلا پی ایچ ڈی ڈاکٹر تعلیم کہاں سے حاصل کی ؟|date=11 September 2020}} In September 2020, he was re-appointed spokesman for the Taliban's political office in Doha.{{Cite web|url=https://tolonews.com/afghanistan/taliban-appoints-new-chief-negotiator-eve-talks|title = Taliban Appoints New Chief Negotiator on Eve of Talks}}
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.{{cite news |title=Afghan Taliban appoint new envoy to run embassy in neighbouring Pakistan |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/afghan-taliban-appoint-new-envoy-run-embassy-neighbouring-pakistan-2021-10-29/ |access-date=14 December 2022 |work=Reuters |date=29 October 2021 |location=Peshawar, Pakistan and Kabul |quote=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}}{{Cite tweet |author=Embassy of Afghanistan in Doha |user=AfgEmbDoha1 |number=1538420245165113346 |date=19 June 2022 |script-title=fa: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 |trans-title=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. |language=ps |location=Doha |access-date=14 December 2022}}{{cite news |title=Afghan Designated Ambassador to Qatar Participated in The Middle East Reorganizing Seminar |url=https://bakhtarnews.af/en/afghan-designated-ambassador-to-qatar-participated-in-the-middle-east-reorganizing-seminar/ |access-date=14 December 2022 |work=Bakhtar News Agency |date=3 October 2022 |location=Kabul}}
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.{{cite web |title=Dr Mohammad Naeem Wardak formally takes over charges of new office |url=https://www.afghanislamicpress.com/en/news/102757 |publisher=Afghan Islamic Press |access-date=27 January 2025}}
See also
References
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