Afghan Biographies

Rahim, Abdul Sayed Jan Eng.


Name Rahim, Abdul Sayed Jan Eng.
Ethnic backgr. Pashtun
Date of birth 1952
Function/Grade Ex Ambassador
History and Biodata

2. Previous Functions:
Engineer at the Ministry of Water and Energy,
Representative of Jamiat-i-Islami for 10 years in China, Washington, Mashhad and Islamabad,
Ambassador to Indonesia,
Consul-general in Mashad  (2000600)
Interim government's communications minister (20020115)
Advisor to the Ministry of Telecommunication and Technology (2009),
Minister designate Refugees and Repatriation - Eng. Abdul Rahim (20100109) was not confirmed by Wolesi Jirga 20100116,
Minister Designate Communication (20100626),
Ambassador to Organization of Islamic Cooperation OIC (20130714)
 

3. Biodata:
rahim_engEng. Abdul Sayed Jan Rahim Abdul Rahim Sayed Jaan, son of Syed Jan, was born in 1952 in Darwaz district of northeastern Badakhshan province. He completed his education at a local technique institute and did BA from the Polytechnic University in Kabul. He worked as an engineer at the Ministry of Water and Energy for four years before migrating to Peshawar. Rahim served as a representative of Jamiat-i-Islami for 10 years in China, Washington, Mashhad and Islamabad.

Former Afghan president Prof. Burhanuddin Rabbani illegally ordered the sale of a state-run Ariana Airline aircraft, bought for 30 million US dollars from Russia in 1980, to Iran's Caspian Company at a throwaway price of $450,000. The shady deal involved a former diplomat, Engineer Abdu Rahim Syed Jan, who has now been named by President Hamid Karzai as his minister-designate of refugee affairs, reveal investigations conducted by Pajhwok Afghan News. Rahim, the then Afghan consul-general in Mashhad received just 450,000 dollars as the sale price of a plane that cost the state exchequer $30 million. It remains a mystery what happened to the sale money and why the government of the day agreed to accept a dirt-cheap price for the plane. The amount was never deposited in the government exchequer, disclosed an insider, who did not want to be named.

But Abdul Rahim, who did acknowledge the receipt of $450,000 from the Iranian airline, insisted he duly deposited the sum in the account of the Afghan Consulate in Mashhad in line with President Rabbani's directive. The amount was later transferred to a Russian company, tasked with printing banknotes for the Mujahideen government, he said, claiming possession of documentary evidence of the transactions.

He can fluently speak Farsi, Dari, Pashto and English

Last Modified 2019-09-17
Established 2010-01-09