Shuja ul-Mulk Jalala (born 1952), also known as Ghulam Rasul, is a

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

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 ...

. He is the governor of Kunar Province, appointed by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Hamid Karzai Hamid Karzai (; Pashto/ fa, حامد کرزی, , ; born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan statesman who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from July 2002 to September 2014, including as the first elected president of the Islamic Repub ...

on July 15, 2013 after a suggestion by the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG).

Early life and education

The third son of ‘Abdu’l Malik Khan of Jalala, Shujah ul-Mulk Jalala was born in Ghaziabad District of

Kunar Province Kunar (Pashto: ; Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country. Its capital is Asadabad. Its population is estimated to be 508,224. Kunar's major political groups include Wahhabis or Ahl-e- Ha ...

in 1952. He remained in this district through the completion of his primary education, and he received his high school education in the provincial capital, Asadabad.

Career

During the

Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It saw extensive fighting between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen (alongside smaller groups of anti-Sovie ...

, Jalala joined the Mujahideen and served as a commander. He also developed political ties with the

National Islamic Front of Afghanistan National Islamic Front of Afghanistan (Mahaz-e Milli-ye Islami-ye Afghanistan, Mahaz-i Milli-yi Islami-yi Afghanistan) is a political party in Afghanistan. It has been led, since its founding, by members of a prominent Sufi family, the Gailan ...

led by Hazrat Sibghatullah Mujadidi, and was a member of the 2002 Emergency Loya Jirga after the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

overthrew the

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...

regime. Following a February 2013 NATO airstrike in Shigal district in eastern Kunar that resulted in civilian casualties, Jalala was sent by President Karzai to lead a delegation for the purpose of investigating the incident and delivering condolences from the president to the grieving families. In the 2005 Wolesi Jirga Election, Jalala received the third most votes from Kunar Province; thus from 2005–2011, Jalala served as a Member of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...

(MNA) for Afghanistan. He then operated as Presidential Advisor for Tribal Affairs from 2011–2013.

Governor of Kunar Province

He was appointed the Governor of

on July 15, 2013. As governor, Jalala has expressed a desire to improve a variety of social conditions in Kunar. His priorities are peace and reconciliation, anti-corruption, and counter-narcotics, but other objectives include increasing the availability of safe drinking water in Asadabad, reducing timber smuggling, and maintaining a commitment to girls' education. With international military support on the decline in Kunar, Jalala has acknowledged that tackling these social issues will not be easy, saying: Jalala is also the president of the Jalala Foundation, a public welfare organization.

Family background

Shuja ul-Mulk Jalala belongs to the famous

Katoor Dynasty The Katoor dynasty (also spelled Katur and Kator) was a dynasty, which along with its collateral branches ruled the sovereign, later princely state of Chitral and its neighbours in the eastern Hindu Kush region for over 450 years, from around ...

which has ruled an independent Kingdom of Chitral since 1560 and is the great grandson of King Aman ul-Mulk II, a Mehtar of Chitral who ruled from 1858-1892. The ninth son of Aman ul-Mulk II, 'Abdu’l Rahman Khan of Jalala, emigrated from Chitral, in what is now

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

, to Afghanistan in 1892 after the murder of some of his brothers. With support from the rulers of

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

, he settled at Jalala in Kunar, within the

Kunar Valley Kunar Valley is a valley in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Afghanistan the length of the valley is almost entirely narrow with steep and rugged mountains on both sides. The center of the valley is occupied by the Kunar River flowing south where it ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jalala, Shuja ul-Mulk Governors of Kunar Province People from Kunar Province 1952 births Pashtun people Living people National Islamic Front of Afghanistan politicians