Afghanistan Peace Campaign51 years old, Mawalwi Kabir was born in Tangi village of Nahrin district of Baghlan province. But his ancestors are from Paktika.
Mawlawi Abdul Kabir has been appointed acting head instead of Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund by the order of the leader of the Islamic Emirate, Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada.
According to the Islamic Emirate’s spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, PM Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund is in Kandahar for medical treatment for an extended period of time and the political deputy PM, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, is managing affairs as acting PM.
51 years old, Mawalwi Kabir was born in Tangi village of Nahrin district of Baghlan province. But his ancestors are from Paktika.
“Kafil (a responsible sponsor) is someone who takes orders from a main person and take actions on their instruction which means that their will be no change in the policies of the interim government towards women and there is no change in issue of inclusive government,” said Torek Farhadi, political analyst.
Kabir has worked in various posts with the Islamic Emirate. Most recently he worked as the political deputy PM before becoming acting PM.
In the first term of the Taliban government, Mawlawi Kabir worked as governor for Logar and Nangarhar provinces. He also worked as head of the political commission of the Islamic Emirate for two years since 2005. Mawlawi Kabir also was a member of the Taliban’s negotiating team during the peace negotiations between the Taliban and the former republican government.
“One possibility is that if Mawlawi Abdul Kabir remains as acting head of the cabinet for a while, hopefully his presence will improve the daily activities of the government,” said Fazal Hadi Wazeen, a political analyst.
“Reshuffling individuals will not bring a fundamental change in the polices of the Taliban. But based on internal polarizations of the Taliban, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir is a meaningful (Kafil) and at the same time, it paves the way for gradual improvement,” said Sayed Jawad Sijadi, university instructor.
Expectations of Kabir are high, as he is younger than Mullah Akhund and reportedly more open for engaging with the international community.