Afghan Biographies

Ishaqzai, Gul Agha Mullah


Name Ishaqzai, Gul Agha Mullah
Ethnic backgr. Pashtun
Date of birth 1972
Function/Grade Minister of Mines and Petroleum MoMP
History and Biodata

1. Former Minister of Mines of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) (and Industries)
Muhammad Alam Razim Interim Government, Northern Alliance.
Mir Moh. Sediq (2004-2005)
Eng. Ibrahim Adil (200603).
Wahidullah Shahrani stepped down because of Presidential Election 2014 (20090103-20131000),
Mohammad Akbar Barakzai (20131028-20140930)
Mohammad Akbar Barakzai acting Minister (20141001)
acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum Mir Ahmad Jawid Sadat (20141209)
Daud Shah Saba (20150127-20160328 resigned)
Acting minister of Mines and Petroleum Mrs. Ghazal Habib Ghazal Habibyar Safi Ghezal Habib Yar Safi  (20160416, 20160505, 20160824)
Nomininated Mrs. Nargis Nehan ( 20170327, 20171204 rejected and acting 20180103) resigned (20191025)
Enayatullah Momand (20191026, 20200103, 20200402)

Harun Chakhansuri (20200611) nominated and acting. confirmed (20201130)
Mullah Mohammad Essa Akundzada, Mullah Muhammad Essa Akhund (20210907) acting
Maulvi Shahabuddin Delawar (20211122) acting
Gul Agha Ishaqzai (2024)

 

Deputy Ministers of Mines: 
Eng. Muhammad Akram Ghayasi Ghiasi (20100104)
Eng. Abdul Qudoos Hamidi (20100100, 20150514)
Mrs. Ghezal Habib Yar Safi Ghazal Habibyar-Safi (2016)
Deputy Minister for Financial and Administrative Affairs: Abdul Jamil Hares  Eng Abdul Jamil Haris (20140811)
Deputy Minister for Mine Affairs: Eng. Naseer Ahmand Durani (20140930)
Ibrahim Azhar, Deputy Minister of the MoMP (20150524)
Haji Mullah Mohammad Esa Akhund (20211122)
Deputy Minister for Policy and Programs: 
Mir Ahmed Javid Sadat, Ahmad Jawed Sadat (20160824, 20170404)
Sheikh Zia ur-Rahman Aruobi (20220611)
Technical Deputy Minister Mines and Petroleum
Enayatullah Momand (2018)
Engineer Waheedullah Halimi (20220611)

Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP)
Shafiqullah Shahrani (20150202)
Deputy of Finance and administration:

Mawlavi Hasamuddin Sabari (20220611)

Deputy for the Geological Survey:
Engineer Noorullah Stankzai (20220611)
Speaker Spokesman Spokesperson Ministry of Mines and Industries:
Mohammad Rafee Sediq Mohammad Sediqi Rafi Sediq, former TOLO journalist  (20141005, 20150211)
Muhayuddin Noori (20160718)
Zabihullah Sarwari (20170420)

Abdul Qadeer Mutfi, Abdul Qadir Mutfa (20180222, 20190227, 20201214)
Mufti Esmatullah Burhan (20220712)

 

MEC report lists reasons behind corruption in MoMP

The Independent Joint Anti-Corruption Monitoring and Evaluation Committee (MEC) in a report has listed ‘a defiant anti-corruption campaign’, political interferences, foreign meddling as main reasons behind corruption vulnerabilities at the Ministry of Mining and Petroleum (MoMP).

In addition, the MEC findings identify weak handling of contracts and political influence in decision making process among factors contributing to corruption in the ministry.

The MEC report says illegal mining, inadequate salaries, weak mining audit, revenue collection, illegal interference of local officials in revenue collection and their involvement in illegal mining are other problems of the ministry.

Making the report, the MEC interviewed 266 experts and evaluated 66 contracts from October 2017 till July 2018 in Kabul, Parwan, Panjshir, Balkh, Nangarhar, Badakhshah, Samangan, Herat and Kandahar provinces.

MEC head Bari Salam, while unveiling the results of the research, said the MoMP had also made some achievements like hiring of employees through the Independent Civil Services and Administrative Reform Commission (ICSARC), signing some Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with concerned government institutions for greater cooperation.

However, he said the mining ministry still faced many issues such as lack of understanding between the authorities concerned, lack of capacity within the ministry and its provincial branches.

Vulnerabilities and danger of corruption

Bari Salam said weaknesses in the anti-corruption system, poor governance, unsatisfaroy connectivity of the ministry with provinces, political influence in decision making and some other areas were vulnerable to corruption in the ministry.

He said the MEC during its report refrained from naming corrupt individuals and only focused on reasons behind the corruption and its vulnerabilities.

Lapses within the contract process and illegal mining

The MEC report says many lapses take place in the process of warding mining contracts and these lapses cause corruption.

Bari Salaam said many procedures of contracts remained unexplained and the required scrutiny did not take place. Before awarding contracts, all necessary documents of the company concerned should be scrutinized carefully, he said.

He said the MEC findings showed the process of contract provision was lengthy and weak and this problem allowed external interferences in the process.

He said event today most of the illegal mining involved powerful individuals, members of Parliament, illegal armed groups and the Taliban on a large scale.

Weak internal audit

The MEC report said internal audit did not happen on a high standard and auditors were badly affected by personal benefits, gifts and other presents offered to them by the institutions being audited.

Salaam said the mining ministry’s audit had been weak and not up to standard and the auditors were bribe-fed.  He said the ministry has nine auditors and of them two would be retiring.

Revenue Collection

The MEC report says local officials and different government institutions without any legal authority were involved in revenue collection of the mining ministry or involved in illegal mining.

 “No report about available deposits, their exact rates and average production is available and there is no monitoring of the production, this is why the revenue could not be properly collected,” he said.

Low salaries and meddling in hiring process

The MEC report say low salaries of employees force them to misuse their authorities in personal interest.

(20181210)

2. Previous Function Gul Agha Ishaqzai aka Mullah Heyatullah Badri (see file Heyatullah Badri):
Head of Taliban Financial Commission (2013)
Minister of Finance acting (20210824)

Minister of Mines and Petroleum MoMP acting (2024)

3. Biodata:
Mullah Gul Agha Ishaqzai aka Mullah Heyatullah Badri was born 1972 in Band-e-Temur Maiwand District Kandahar Province. Member of a Taliban Council that coordinates the collection of zakat (Islamic tax) from Baluchistan Province, Pakistan. Associated with Mullah Mohammed Omar. Served as Omar's principal finance officer and one of his closest advisors. Belongs to Ishaqzai tribe. Gul Agha Ishakzai is the head of the Taliban's financial commission and is part of a recently created Taliban council that coordinates the collection of zakat (Islamic tax) from Baluchistan Province, Pakistan. He has also collected money for suicide attacks in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and has been involved in the disbursement of funds to Taliban fighters and their families.

A childhood friend of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, Gul Agha Ishakzai has served as Omar's principal finance officer and one of his closest advisors. At one time, no one was allowed to meet Mullah Omar unless approved by him. He lived in the presidential palace with Omar during the Taliban regime.

In December 2005, Gul Agha Ishakzai facilitated the movement of people and goods to Taliban training camps; in late 2006 he travelled abroad to obtain weapon parts.

 


 

Last Modified 2024-10-06
Established 2024-10-06