Afghan Biographies

Arghandiwal, Abdul Hadi


Name Arghandiwal, Abdul Hadi
Ethnic backgr. Pashtun
Date of birth 1952
Function/Grade Ex Minister
History and Biodata

2. Previous Functions of Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal:
Manager in Planning Ministry (1977),
Minister of Finance in Rabbanis 10-man cabinett (19960703),
Chairman Islamic Party (2008),
Adviser to the President on tribal affairs (2009),
Minister of Economy (2010 - 2014)
Secretary to the High Economic Council (HEC) (20121220)
Minister of Finance (20200402, 20201121 sacked 210123)

3. Biodata:
arghandiwal_abdul_hadiAbdul Hadi Arghandiwal Abdul Hadi Arghandewal,  son of Abdul Jalil Arghandiwal, was born in 1952 in Kabul. He graduated from Ghazi High School in Kabul and did his BA in Economics in 1976. Arghandiwal was appointed as manager at the Planning Ministry in 1977.

He migrated to Pakistan after the civil war broke out, briefly served as finance minister in pre-Taliban Afghanistan. When elected as chairman of Islamic Party in 2008, Arghandiwal announced his party would work to bring security to the country by negotiating with all armed opposition groups. A representative of Mujahideen government in Islamabad, Arghandiwal later went to the US for higher education, but came back to Afghanistan. He was advisor to the president on tribal affairs and head of Hezb-i-Islami before his nomination for cabinet slot. Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal is a prominent Afghan figures and appears to be powerbroker in Afghanistan's political scene.

The current chairman of the Islamic Party (Mohammad Khalid Farooqi) of Afghanistan, formed in 2008 by members who broke away from Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Heszb-e-Islami Party of Afghanistan. When elected chairman, Arghandiwal announced that under his leadership, the party would work to "bring security to Afghanistan, which requires negotiation with all armed opposition groups in the country," and he called for the removal of the names of Taliban resistance groups from terrorist lists as a precondition to negotiation.

In the 2005 elections he bagged 774 or 0.2% for a seat in Wolesi Jirga for Kabul. The party’s leader Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal ran a decidedly unsuccessful campaign for president in 2009, lost amid higher profile reformist candidates and massive voter fraud. The group had a very public falling-out with the Taliban in the mid-1990’s, but officials maintain that they are now secretly allies.

Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal was confirmed as a Minister of Economy by Wolesi Jirga 20100116 (120 for, 94 against, 6 blank, 2 invalid).

The Heszb-i-Islami Afghanistan (HIA) is expected to announce its nominee for the presidential election due in 2014, said Arghandiwal. (20121004)  The former Jihadi party split into two factions seven years ago, one led by Gulbadin Hekmatyar and the other by Arghandiwal.

Minister of Economy Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal was appointed as secretary to the High Economic Council (HEC) (20121220)


Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal, Engineer Mohammad Khan and Dr Basir Anwar members of Hizb-e-Islami  were dismissed after holding a recent meeting. They were dismissed because they had relations with other parties and worked against the goal and demands of Hizb-e-Islami.
Arghandiwal is the leader of Hizb-i-Islami Afghanistan and worked for the ministry of economy. Khan is currently the first deputy for the National Unity Governm ent’s (NUG) CEO Abdullah Abdullah. Anwar is currenty working as the Minister of Justice.(20180314)However, Arghandiwal claimed the Hezb-e Islami has been officially registered to his name at the Ministry of Justice and no one can oust him from the membership.
 

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai has chosen Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal to become finance minister.  A former minister of economy under Hamid Karzai, Arghandiwal will act as caretaker of finance ministry before his confirmation by the parliament.(20200331)

Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal was approved as minister of finance by winning 205 votes in favor, 32 votes against and 9 unmarked votes. (20201121)

President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai has sacked Minister of Finance Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal and replaced him with Khalid Painda, the Administrative Affairs Office (AAO) said. AAO said in a statement that via two separate decrees, President Ashraf Ghani had replaced Arghandiwal with Khalild Painda as minister of finance. The presidential decree called delays in revenue collection, non-cooperation with the joint committee investigating illegal pensions in the MoF and obstruction of such investigations reasons for Arghandiwal’s removal. He was also accused of poor management, lack of commitment to good governance and non-observance of Article 77 of the Constitution, disregarding rulings and instructions from the president’s office.(20210123)


Arghandiwal has knowledge of Arabic and Urdu, he can speak Dari, Pashtu and English.

Background:
The two factions of Hezb-i-Islami of Afghanistan (HIA) have been in talks to reach a consensus on fielding a joint candidate in next year's presidential elections (2013/2014) and a possible reunification. A five-member delegation of the HIA faction led by Gulbadin Hekmatyar visited Kabul and held talks with members of the breakaway faction led by Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal. Mudir Mohammad Rassoul who led the delegation met with Waheedullah Sabawon, Khalid Farooq and other members of Arghandiwal’s party to reach a consensus on a joint candidate. .(20130414)

Last Modified 2021-01-23
Established 2010-01-09