Afghan Biographies

Amarkhil, Zia ul Haq


Name Amarkhil, Zia ul Haq
Ethnic backgr. Pashtun
Date of birth
Function/Grade Ex Governor
History and Biodata

2. Previous Functions:
IEC Independent Election Commission Head of the Secretariat 2012. 2013 (20121203, 20130729)
IEC Independent Election Commission Head of the Secretariat 2014 AIEC (resigned 20140623)

Head the NGO Mili Subac (National Stability). (20171101)
Presidential advisor for public and political affairs (20180926)

State minister for parliamentary affairs (20200513)
Provincial Governor Nangahar (20200823)

3. Biodata:

Zia ul-Haq Amarkhil Amarkhail Amarkhel Ziaulhaq Amarkhail hails from Bamyan Province . He holds a bachelor’s degree in Islamic studies and literature from Nangrahar University (2006) and in Arabic literature from Almazruq University affiliated with International Islamic University, Islamabad. He holds a master’s degree in development from Italy. He was the head of the IEC secretariat. The IEC commissioners introduced Zia-ul-Haq Amarkhil to the president to appoint him as the head of the Secretariat of the Commission. (20130805) Amarkhel Amarkhail was reappointed 20130806. Independent Election Commission (IEC) Secretary Ziaul Haq Amarkhel on 20140623 announced his resignation in the wake of allegations regarding his involvement in fraud in the June 14  2014 runoff vote.(20140623)

Zia-ul-Haq Amarkhail was stopped on June 14, 2014 transporting electoral materials  to the 21st police district of Kabul city and to the Sarobi district on the election day, but Kabul police chief Gen. Zahir prevented his move. Gen. Zahir later accused Amarkhel of rigging by trying to transfer the election materials, an allegation Amarkhel dismissed as unsubstantiated. He said his staff was not allowed by police to dispatch ballot papers to polling centres. He slammed the police action as brazen interference in the commission’s affairs. His attempt was broadcast live on Afghan television and the incident sharpened widely held fears of electoral fraud. In the aftermath of this development, neither the IEC nor Amarkhail could offer a reasonable explanation to clarify his actions thereby generating suspicion that the unused ballots were intended for fraudulent use.

Amarkhail's Executive Assistant was Adam Khan Serat (20140623). From within the IEC a source said that Amarkhail left Kabul on Monday evening 20140630, around 7 p.m. on a flight bound for Dubai. The same source reported that Amakhail's family left on a flight just before him, and all of them were booked on a flight headed to London, England, at 3 p.m. Tuesday 20140701. Presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah's campaign team had asked President Hamid Karzai and the Attorney General's Office to block Amarkhail from leaving the country while he is under investigation for electoral fraud. Abdullah's team have labeled his departure an "escape".(20140701) Amarkhil returned to Kabul on Friday 20140604 after he was assured by President Karzai that he will not be prosecuted.(20140605)

Over a week ago (last week of June 2014), the Abdullah campaign team started publicly releasing supposed audio recordings showing Amarkhail coordinating plans for ballot stuffing during the runoff with members of the Ashraf Ghani-Ahmadzai team as well as local officials in a number of provinces. Amarkhail quickly resigned from his post at the IEC, though he did so while denying the veracity of the accusations against him. Election observers expressed hope that the investigations into Amarkhail's alleged actions would continue, but said they are concerned about verifying the voices in the audio recordings without him being present. The release of the audio tapes has been one part of a broader disruption in the election process over the past couple weeks surrounding claims from the Abdullah camp regarding fraud during the runoff.

Ziaulhaq Amarkhel is the Head the NGO Mili Subac (National Stability). (20171101)

President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai has appointed Ziaulhaq Amarkhail, the former Chief of Independent Election Commission (IEC) Secretariat, as his Senior Advisor on Public and Political Affairs.(20180927)

President, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai signed a decree appointing Ziaulhaq Amarkhil as his senior advisor to the public and political affairs and at the same time as the Nangarhar governor. In the public eyes he [Amarkhail] was involved in a systematic electoral corruptions filling thousands of ballot boxes with the fradulent votes.(20200823)

 

Former Nangarhar governor Ziaul Haq Amarkhel thinks the Afghan crisis can be resolved through dialogue and mutual understanding and tolerance. “I wish the Taliban and Hezb-i-Islami Afghanistan had been invited to the Bonn Conference on Afghanistan in 2001. It would have prevented the collapse of republic after 20 years. Not inviting them to the event was a serious mistake or an intentional act of the international community. Afghan politicians also ignored it and left the problem stay unresolved,” he claimed. Amarkhel says it is time for the Afghan caretaker government to start a discussion on forming an inclusive government and also consult with women.(20220526)



He speaks Pashtu, Urdu and English.

Last Modified 2022-05-27
Established 2014-07-01