Abdul Qahar Balkhi () is an
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
official and the current spokesperson of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
of the
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
since 25 September 2021. He was designated as a member of the Taliban's Cultural Commission after the
fall of Kabul until his exact role in the Taliban government was determined.
He also served the Taliban media office in the early 2010s.
Balkhi first appeared publicly at the Taliban's first press conference on 17 August 2021, after the fall of Kabul. During the press conference, he interpreted for the spokesman
Zabihullah Mujahid
Zabihullah Mujahid ( ps, ; ''Ẕabīḥullāh Mujāhid'' ; also spelled Dhabih Allah Mujahid) is an Afghan official Central spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan since 25 October 2021 and Deputy Ministry of Information and Culture s ...
. On 22 August 2021, he was interviewed by
Charlotte Bellis
Charlotte Bellis is a New Zealand journalist who previously reported for Al Jazeera. Bellis attracted media attention in August 2021 after interviewing a senior Taliban leader Abdul Qahar Balkhi following the fall of Kabul. In early 2022, Bellis ...
of ''
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
'' in the group's first official interview. During the interview, he thanked New Zealand for providing financial support to Afghanistan following the takeover, given their donations to the
UN and
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
.
Video letter to US Congress
On 17 November 2021, in an open letter addressed to US Congress, Taliban's acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi appealed to unfreeze Afghan central bank assets worth $US9 billion to avert a humanitarian catastrophe. Taliban's spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi also tweeted a video recording of the letter, marking a new era in Taliban's Twitter diplomacy.
Personal life
He is a former New Zealand resident, and some of his family still there.
Balkhi speaks English.
See also
*
Ahmadullah Wasiq
*
Suhail Shaheen
Muhammad Suhail Shaheen (Pashto/Dari: , , ) is a Taliban member who is currently the head of the Political Office in Doha. He edited the English-language, state-owned Afghan newspaper '' The Kabul Times'' during the first Islamic Emirate of Afgh ...
*
Zabiullah Mujahid
Zabihullah Mujahid ( ps, ; ''Ẕabīḥullāh Mujāhid'' ; also spelled Dhabih Allah Mujahid) is an Afghan official Central spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan since 25 October 2021 and Deputy Ministry of Information and Culture si ...
*
Tariq Ghazniwal
References
External links
*
{{Taliban
Taliban leaders
Living people
1988 births