Afghan Biographies

Shams, Ajmal Eng.


Name Shams, Ajmal Eng.
Ethnic backgr. Pashtun
Date of birth 1972
Function/Grade Ex Policy Advisor to Chairman Transition Coordination Commis
History and Biodata

2. Previous Functions:
Policy Advisor to Dr. Ashraf Ghani, Chairman Transition Coordination Commission (2011 - )
President of ASDP since October 2005
Director General Planning, Policy & Coordination Ministry of Urban Development Affairs (Oct-2010 till June 2011)·
Head of Engineering Department at the Ministry of Rural Development (Aug-2006 till Feb-2007 and Aug-2009 till Sep-2010),·
Worked in Pakistan, US and UAE in technical and engineering positions between 2001 and 2009

3. Biodata:
shams_ajmalEng. Ajmal Shams was born 1972 in Noorgal district of Kunar province. He is the son of the late Shamsul Huda Shams, the former president of the Afghan Social Democratic (Afghan Mellat Milli Motaraqi Gwand) Party. Shams has been president of the Afghan Social Democratic Party since October 2005.

Shams obtained his primary education in his hometown before migrating to Pakistan with his family in the early days of the Communist regime. Shams then pursued his education in Peshawar, graduated from the University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar with a B.Sc. degree in civil engineering. Upon graduation he started his career in a lecturer position in Khyber Institute of Technology and continued teaching for several years before departing for the United States for his specialization in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering.

In 2002, he obtained his master's degree in civil engineering from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in the United States. After finishing his degree, he worked as environmental engineer for a consulting engineering firm in Florida for about a year before returning home due his father insistence and his own love and passion to actively participate in the reconstruction and development of his homeland.

Shams worked for about two years as head of the water resources section of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Kabul and later on served briefly as Head of the Engineering Department of the National Solidarity Program in the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development. In 2007, Shams went to United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he worked for a multinational engineering firm in a senior engineering position where he actively participated in the planning, design and management of large-scale infrastructure projects including the SheikhZayed Grand Mosque in AbuDhabi.

In 2009, he came back to Afghanistan and re-joined the Ministry of Rural Development and served in the reputed National Solidarity Program for about a year before joining the Ministry of Urban Development as Director of Planning, Policy and Coordination. In July 2011, Shams quit the Ministry of Urban Development and joined the Transition Coordination Commission as Policy Advisor to Dr. Ashraf Ghani, Chairman of the Transition Commission.

Eng. Ajmal Shams has been president of Afghanistan Social Democratic Party (Afghan Mellat Milli MotaraqiGwand) since October 2005. He was elected by an emergency party congress soon after his father's demise. Born and raised in a political family, Shams has been actively involved in party affairs from a young age. He speaks Pashto, Persian, English and Urdu languages and his articles, mainly on socio-economic and political issues of Afghanistan, have been published in various Pashto and English newspapers. Shams thoroughly understands national and global politics. He is progressive-minded and forward-looking, a true democrat, and his party strongly supports his leadership due to his enormous energy, political wisdom and talent.

E-mail: Afghanmillat@afghanmillat.org

Afghan Mellat [Shams] (Afghanistan Social Democratic Party)
Afghan Mellat Milli Motaraqi Gwand
Hezb-e Sosyal Demokratik-e Afghan / Hezb-e Afghan Millat [Shams]
Leader: Eng. Ajmal Shams
Postal Address: PO Box 5595, Kabul, Afghanistan.
Telephone: +93 (0) 799-126-878
 

Background:
In 1986-1987, dialogues took place between the government and Afghan Millat and some leading party members were released from prison. However, the party chose to stay outside of the governing coalition. The relations with the government split the party into three factions; with one faction led by Shams-ul-Huda Shams, one by Qudratullah Hadad and the other by Mohammad Amin Wakman. It is Wakman faction that is currently led by Afghanistan's Finance Minister, Anwar-ul-Haq Ahady, the son-in-law of the NIFA leader Pir Gailani.

In 1995 Anwar-ul-Haq Ahady took over the Wakman branch. Under his leadership, the party toned down its Pashtun nationalist profile and sought support amongst non-Pashtuns. The Wakman branch of the party is recognized by the Afghan government as the "Afghan Mellat Party"..

After the fall of the Taliban government, the party leader Ahady has been included in the government as Finance Minister. The party supported Hamid Karzai in the presidential election and receives support from Karzai. The party has around 10 MPs. The party officially registered themselves in Afghanistan on May 16, 2004.

Shams-ul-Huda Shams applied for recognition of his party in 2004, but it was under Ajmal Shams, his son, that it achieved official recognition in May 2007 as "Afghan Mellat Milli Motaraqi Gwand".

Last Modified 2022-11-13
Established 2012-01-30