Afghan Biographies

Balkhi, Sayed Muhammad Hussain Alami Hossein


Name Balkhi, Sayed Muhammad Hussain Alami Hossein
Ethnic backgr. Hazara
Date of birth 1957
Function/Grade Ex Minister
History and Biodata

Said Hussain Alimi Balkhi Sayed Hussain Alemi Balkhi
Phone: 0700277502
 

2. Previous Functions:
Minister of Commerce  (1995-1996),
Member of the Leadership Council of the Afghan Government (1994-1996),
Member of the Leadership Council of the Northern Alliance (1997-2001)
Head of Secretariat of the Ulema Council (which he established in 2002) since 2005.
Wolesi Jirga Member 2005 MP MNA Kabul,
Wolesi Jirga Member 2010 MP MNA Kabul reelected
Minister of Refugees and Repatriation (20150127, 20171112, 20200831)

3. Biodata:
Balkhi_Sayed_HussainMuhammad Hussain Alami Alimi Alemi Balkhi Syed Hussain Almi Balkhi son of Sayed Mir Aqa was born 1957 and is from Charkent district of Balkh province. He studied Islamic science in Afghanistan and Iran and headed the secretariat of the Ulema Council. Balkhi joined the Islamic Madrasa of Sultania in Mazar-i Sharif in 1972. He then studied at Charkint Madrasa, and also Ayatullah Bahr Ulom Madrasa in Mazar for Islamic studies. In 1981 he went to Iran, continued his studies in Islam, and in 1984 joined the Qum Islamic University and studied there for four years.
 

He was part of the jihad against the Soviets.
 

Balkhi is the owner of Rah-e Nijat weekly newspaper, and he is the founder of the Cultural and Charitable Foundation of Rasul Akram, which he established in 1993.
 

Balkhi was the Head of the commission for Justice and Judicial Affairs in the lower house of parliament. He was a Wolesi Jirga Member 2005 MP MNA Kabul. Sayed Hussain Alami Balkhi, a Hazara/Shia MP from Kabul (but originally from the northern Balkh province and a vice-presidential candidate in the 2004 elections with Tajik contender Yunus Qanuni) considers himself amongst those MPs who support negotiations with insurgents. He participated in the official Afghanistan-Pakistan Peace Jirga initiated by the Afghan and Pakistani governments, the first of which was held in Kabul 9-12 August 2007. Ghazi Gulab Jamal from Pakistan and Sayed Hussain Alami Balkhi from Afghanistan jointly head the fourth committee.

Balkhi believes the conflict cannot be solved by military means alone. Political engagement must now be given a greater prominence. He believes the president has some vested authority and in consultation with parliament can propose a mechanism for political engagement with the insurgents. He noted that on a number of occasions the parliamentarians had discussed the deteriorating security situation in Kabul and other cities and concluded there must be engagement and negotiations with the insurgents for the sake of peace.

The parliament has not systematically and consistently engaged on the issue, however, nor given specific directions or authority to the president. Balkhi believes all the three organs of the state - the executive, judiciary and the parliament - should properly debate the issue and develop a common strategy for political engagement with the insurgents. MP Balkhi maintains that the perception that jihadi leaders are against negotiations with the Taliban and other opponents is wrong.

He says President Karzai is an ex-jihadi, and so are many others, such as Prof. Rabbani, and many other ministers. But they are part of the government and are calling for negotiations. There are not so great differences of view on the issue of political engagement with the insurgents, the majority of Afghans, both inside and outside the government, favor negotiations as a means of bringing an end to the conflict, he says. Rather, the problem is that the international community has undermined the independent character of the Afghan state and government by pursuing its own policy agenda. This has prevented the Afghan government and political institutions, including the parliament, from acting independently. How can an Afghan government that is so dependent on the international community be expected to develop and implement its own programme of action? The international community needs to be asked why it does not allow the Afghan government to function more independently. The West, he says, has its own agenda. It is not in favour of talks and would like to see the conflict drag on so that its forces can stay in Afghanistan on the pretext of doing battle with Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Balkhi is consistently critical of the international community. He questions their statements saying they are in Afghanistan to support the government’s reconciliation programme, while at the same time standing in the way of progress and continuously interfering in the process, thereby undermining the elected government of Hamid Karzai.

No wonder, he says, that the Taliban call this government a puppet government with no will of its own. To illustrate the point, he mentions the appointment process of senior officials, claiming the international community, UNAMA, for example, has picked its own favorites while rejecting nominations of senior officials, including chiefs of police and governors, whom Karzai had recommended after consulting with different political forces in the country.

He notes the case of foreign minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta, who received a vote of no-confidence from the parliament, but stayed on due to the support of foreign patrons. In particular, the German foreign minister had visited Kabul after the no-confidence vote, making it clear to the parliament and the government that the European Union might reconsider its engagement with Afghanistan if Spanta were removed from his post. MP Balkhi believes that if the current strategy of the international community does not change, the war will be lost to the Taliban and their ISI and Al Qaeda alliance.

The whole region and beyond will suffer as a consequence. If the fighting stops and insurgents engage in a political process, the road to peace will be much shorter and international forces can also leave once there is stability in Afghanistan. The presence of foreign forces, he says, is radicalising the insurgents, who claim they are fighting because their country is invaded. The international forces, in turn, say they are fighting because Taliban and Al Qaeda are a threat to their national and global interests.

A peace settlement leading to the end of the conflict and the withdrawal of international forces will help address both of these concerns. A peace settlement will also require a more nuanced diplomatic approach toward solving the regional dimension of the Afghan conflict. Without addressing Pakistan’s long standing concerns, it is difficult to see the war ending. The 2009 Wiki Leaks documents say Kabul representative in the Wolesi Jirga, Sayed Hussain Alimi Balkhi, MP from Bamyan Ustad Muhammad Akbari and Ahmad Ali Jubraieli, member from Herat, are paid for toeing Iran's line.

Balkhi is said he was a stauch supporter of President Karzai (20110818) and has been affiliated with the Reformist Group in Wolesi Jirga.

 

The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs on 20131019 introduced eight individuals to Wolesi Jirga to replace seven members standing down in the run up to the April 5, 2014 elections and one deceased female lawmaker.They replaced resigning MPs including Syed Ishaq Gillani, Syed Hussain Anwari, Abdul Rab Rassoul Sayyaf, Mohammad Mohaqqiq, Shah Abdul Ahad Afzali, Syed Hussain Alami Balkhi, Ibrahim Qasmi and deceased female lawmaker from western Herat, Shehnaz Himmati, who has  died in a road crash in neighbouring Iran.(20131019)

 

Commission (2012): Disabled, Martyrs and Widows (Chair, 2011 & 2012)

In the presidential election 2014 Gul Agha Sherzai, nominated First VP – Syed Hussain Alemi Balkhi and Second VP – Mohammad Hashim Zareh.

Alemi Balkhi has been nominated by the CEO Dr. Abdullah as Justice Minister.(20150112). "In regard to education documents, the nominee for the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriates does not have a high school diploma, but the Ministry of Higher Education has confirmed the educational documents against the law," MP Jafar Mahawi said, referring to Sayed Hussain Alemi Balkhi, a nominee proposed by Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah.(20150125) Wolesi Jirga confirmed Nominee for the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation Sayed Hussain Alemi Balkhi won with 134 votes, 87 against, 17 blank, and five invalid.(20150128)
 

Balkhi is married and has five sons and two daughters.
 

He speaks Dari and Arabic.

Last Modified 2020-08-31
Established 2009-10-12