Afghan Biographies
Qadeer, Abdul Zahir Haji Qadir Qader Zaheer
Name | Qadeer, Abdul Zahir Haji Qadir Qader Zaheer |
Ethnic backgr. | Pashtun |
Date of birth | 1973 |
Function/Grade | Ex Wolesi Jirga Member |
History and Biodata |
Haji Abdul Zahir Qader
2. Previous Functions:
3. Biodata: Qadir is the leader of the Peace Karwan group, a social/political movement based in Nangarhar. He is also currently the director of a body-building club and leader of the Coalition for Support of Rule of Law, formerly the Peace Karawan Party parliamentary group. Qadir was formerly a general in Afghanistan's Border Guard. He is currently the president of the Rana Institute of English Language and Computer Science in Nangarhar. Qadir founded the Karwan-e-Solh (“Peace Caravan”) parliamentary group and chairs the 200 plus member Coalition for the Support of the Rule of Law.
Haji Abdul Zahir Qadir is an independet member of Wolesi Jirga 2010. Haji Zaher, the leader of the Coalition for Support of the Law, was the most provocative on the side of the opposition, telling the President that "You were just a restaurant owner in the United States, we cast our vote and chose you as president of Afghanistan. We can also take our votes back.” He further threatened that if the President did not correct his mistakes, they would take the protests to the four doors of the palace and tell him “Excellency, honourably write your resignation and goodbye.” Now the Karzai Government wants to silence critical Zahir Qadir using the Attorney Generals Office to accuse him of violation of law four years ago. This has the smell of a politically motivated show court case.
Abdul Zahir Qadir was elected as First Deputy Speaker of Wolesi Jirga by getting 140 votes on 20120123, the first working day of second year, sixteenth session of the Afghan House of Representatives. The success of Mr Qadir, who was locked in a conflict with the Government for a year, is not pleasant for the Government. His rival Nadir Khan Katawazai from Paktia Province got 46 votes.
Commission (2012): Defense and Territorial Affairs (2011), First Deputy Speaker of the Wolesi Jirga. Qadir, also known as Haji Abdul Zahir, was arrested at a hotel in Nairobi on April 15, 2025 by Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). According to court documents, he is wanted in the United States on multiple charges, including narcotics importation conspiracy and possession of machine guns. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had filed a criminal complaint against Qadir with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on March 25, 2025. The complaint led to an official diplomatic note submitted by the U.S. government, requesting Kenya to authorize Qadir’s extradition.
He is married with three sons and two daughters.(20170830) Qadir speaks Pashto, Dari, Arabic, English and Urdu. |
Last Modified | 2025-04-21 |
Established | 2010-10-22 |