Afghan Biographies

Alam, Haji Shir Ibrahimi Sher


Name Alam, Haji Shir Ibrahimi Sher
Ethnic backgr. Pashtun
Date of birth 1955
Function/Grade Ex-Governor Warlord
History and Biodata

2. Previous Functions:
Commander 10th Division,
Senior Commander in the Ministry of Defense,
Governor Ghazni Province (20050629-2006),

3. Biodata:
Shir Alam was born 1955 in Afghanistan. He is a second tier commander of Ittihad party (Sayyaf). Human Rights Watch is listing him as a Human Rights Abuser. He was a parliamentary candidate and was barred from standing in the upcoming parliamentary elections because of he was deemed to have retained ties to armed groups. As of mid-2005 he was a senior commander in the defense ministry.

On June 29th, 2005 Alam was appointed as the Governor of Ghazni province. As with many politicians with roots in the country's violent past, Alam is a source of controversy. His campaigners were accused of threats and intimidation during the 2005 Afghan election and in 2006 he was one of a number of Sayyaf's allies to be accused of appropriating land near Kabul. In September, 2006, hundreds of residents of Paghman District in Kabul Province accused him and his commanders of stealing land and protested for the government to intervene. Alam denied the charges.

Alam has also been associated with Tanzim-e-Dawat-e-Islami. In 2006, he survived a Taliban attack on his life. Haji Shir Alam has a house in Taimanie area of Kabul, a controversial piece of land, which has been grabbed by many influential people.

Last Modified 2011-03-19
Established 2009-11-19