Ismatullah Mojaddedi, a former adviser to the National Security Council under Afghanistan’s former republic and the son of former Afghan President Sibghatullah Mojaddedi, has recently returned to Kabul at the invitation of the Taliban.
Speaking at a meeting attended by several senior Taliban officials, he accused the former government of widespread corruption, stating: “Under the previous government, we were trapped in corruption and endless controversy, with no way out. We give you credit for one thing: after you came to power, the thieves disappeared.”
Ismatullah Mojaddedi also thanked the Taliban leadership for facilitating his return to Afghanistan. At the same time, however, he criticized the conduct of some Taliban members, saying that Taliban forces had raided the Mojaddedi family’s residence, causing distress among family members.
His remarks come as the Mojaddedi family has long been regarded as one of Afghanistan’s most influential political families during the republican era. Throughout the two decades of U.S. and NATO involvement in Afghanistan, the family held prominent positions across the country’s political establishment.
Sibghatullah Mojaddedi was one of the key figures in the formation of Afghanistan’s republican system. He chaired the Constitutional Loya Jirga and, a year later, was appointed by former President Hamid Karzai to lead the Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Commission. Backed by the United States and NATO, the commission sought to resolve certain conflicts through traditional jirga mechanisms.
He also served as Speaker of the Afghan Senate during its fifteenth legislative term. Although his attendance at Senate sessions became limited because of his advanced age, he remained in the position until 2011 and continued to exercise the authority associated with the office.
One of Sibghatullah Mojaddedi’s most significant responsibilities was chairing the 2013 Consultative Loya Jirga on the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) and Strategic Partnership between Afghanistan and the United States. The gathering, attended by approximately 2,500 delegates, was convened to deliberate on whether Afghanistan should sign the agreement.
At the conclusion of the assembly, Mojaddedi openly endorsed the signing of the security pact, putting him at odds with then-President Hamid Karzai. He publicly declared that he would leave Afghanistan if the agreement was not signed.
Mojaddedi was among the strongest advocates of the Bilateral Security Agreement with the United States, arguing that it would strengthen Afghanistan’s security and support efforts to counter the Taliban. Karzai, by contrast, maintained that continued insecurity in Afghanistan while U.S. forces remained stationed at secure military bases was unacceptable.
Meanwhile, a former Afghan security official claims that the United States and NATO regularly provided financial support to Sibghatullah Mojaddedi. According to the official, Mojaddedi’s religious stature and political influence particularly among senior government officials made securing his support an important priority for Afghanistan’s international partners.
The same official also alleges that Mojaddedi received financial backing from Hamid Karzai. Karzai was a member of the Afghanistan National Salvation Party, led by Mojaddedi, one of the seven major mujahideen parties established in Peshawar, Pakistan.
In addition to Sibghatullah Mojaddedi’s own roles, several members of the Mojaddedi family held positions within the republican government. Close relatives served as ministers, provincial governors, and in other senior government posts. Ismatullah Mojaddedi himself held security-related positions, and reports at the time linked him to the nomination and appointment of certain officials within state institutions.
Following Sibghatullah Mojaddedi’s death, Zabihullah Mojaddedi succeeded him as leader of the party and assumed responsibility for part of the family’s political and organizational leadership.
Ismatullah Mojaddedi’s recent remarks about corruption in the former government come despite the fact that his family occupied some of the highest positions within Afghanistan’s republican political system for many years and played an influential role in the country’s political and executive affairs.
Sibghatullah Mojaddedi was also known throughout his political career as an opponent of the Taliban and a strong supporter of continued security cooperation between Afghanistan and the United States. Consequently, Ismatullah Mojaddedi’s recent statements regarding both the former government and the Taliban have attracted the attention of political observers and analysts in light of the Mojaddedi family’s longstanding political legacy.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
