Afghan Biographies

Ludin, Attiqullah Lodin Lt Gen.


Name Ludin, Attiqullah Lodin Lt Gen.
Ethnic backgr. Pashtun
Date of birth 1952
Function/Grade Ex-Governor
History and Biodata

2. Previous Functions:
Commander 3rd Corps during Mujahedin Govt.,
Provincial Governor Logar (20081023-20120403)

3. Biodata
Ludin_AttiqullahAttiqullah Ludin born 1952 is a resident of Muhammad Agha district Logar province. He resides in Khateb Khel village. He was a jehadi commander during war against Russia and was belonging to Jamiat-i-Islami Party of former Afghan president Prof. Burhanudin Rabani. However Killid said he confirmed his membership of Mahaz-e-Milli and said Pir Gailani was his leader. "I was Pir Sahib's commander in two fronts- Kabul and Logar. When the civil war started, Pir Sahib directed us not to intervene and leave for Pakistan. I was in Pakistan until the establishment of new government in Afghanistan," he told Killid.

Ludin nominated himself for elections in Logar province for the lower house of parliament but could not gain a seat. In 2003 government troops under local commander, Atiqullah Ludin, pushed Pacha Khan Zadran and his men out of Gardez and Khost.

A parliamentary Wolesi Jirga delegation on 20111221 accused the governor of central Logar province of not allowing it to monitor activities of government institutions. Despite having a presidential decree, the governor had denounced their visit as illegal.

Later Ludin played a questionable role in the Abchkan land scam (Logar Province). NATO forces rented a piece of land in the Abchkan desert (60 km south of Kabul City)  from sechs persons for 2.6 Mio US $ in 2009. Among them was Awal Khan, a tribal elder. When Ludin was first informed that a rent payment had been made in 2009, and was shown documentary proof that the area in question belonged to the state, he had four of the six men arrested. A few days later, he ordered them to be set free. (20121202)

Background:
The Logar men who made up the former Third Army Corps are the remnants of guerrilla bands which fought against the Russians, then against each other and the Taleban over 23 years. They were all volunteers. The corps commander was Lt Gen Atiqullah Ludin, who returned to his home in Logar to work with the US military after the fall of the Taleban in 2001.

Bolstered by cash handouts, he has pledged to help the international coalition's war on terrorism. Now middle-aged, the general has been a warrior all his life. During the war against the Soviets, he is said to have worked for the Pakistani and American intelligence services. Villagers in Khateb Khel, where Ludin lives, are grateful to him because as local government commander he has stopped army men from elsewhere in Afghanistan, especially the north, from coming into the area. He is also credited with putting local warlords out of business by hiring many of their gunmen.

Ludin has a reputation for charity, and paid 5,000 dollars for a school to be built in the village. At the same time, some people say he is as high-handed way as a warlord, and has been quoted as saying, "I am king of the village".

A number of residents of central Logar province rallied in Kabul against the governor on Tuesday, accusing the provincial chief executive of corruption. (20110418) Shah Mahmood Popal, a former presidential candidate who also participated in the protest, alleged that administrative corruption had destabilised Logar. "The governor is the root cause of graft and must be ousted." However, Governor Attiqullah Lodin said the protesters had "personal and regional" problems with him and were involved in grabbing state land.

Last Modified 2012-12-02
Established 2009-10-11