Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq

Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq is the founder and chairman of the People's Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan. He took an active part in the Jihad (Holy War) against the invading Soviet Union to Afghanistan in 1979. He was fighting the Red Army from the northern parts of the country in the Balkh Province.

After the withdrawal of Soviet Union from Afghanistan in 1989, Ustad Mohaqiq was appointed as the Wahdat Party leader in the Northern Zone. He is amongst the few Mujahideen leaders who never left the country. Even when Taliban controlled 95 per cent of Afghanistan's soil, he was fighting against them in Dar-e Suf in Samangan Province and in Yakawlang and Panjab of Bamiyan Province.

After the fall of Taliban, he was elected as one of the five key members of the government under the Bonn Agreement in December 2001. He was appointed as the Vice-President and the Minister of Planning in the interim government of Afghanistan.

Ultimately, due to some differences between him and the Hamid Karzai (President) and Ashraf Ghani (former Finance Minister), he was ousted from the cabinet by Hamid Karzai.

Ustad Mohaqiq was a prominent Presidential candidate in the Presidential Election of 2004. In some provinces like Kabul, Bamiyan, Daikundi, and even in Iran amongst the Afghan refugees over there, he got the majority of the votes. Finally, he came in third position after Hamid Karzai and Yunus Qanuni.

He is currently a Member of Parliament and the chairman of the People's Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan.

Recently in the wake of Kuchi (Pashtun nomads) invasion to the Hazara villages in Behsud and Daimirdad of Wardak Province and the indifference of the Government and the international community to this tragic event, he went onto a hunger strike protesting peacefully and in a civilized manner against this invasion and negligence on the part of government, security agencies and the international community present in Afghanistan.

In response to his bravery and committment to democracy, around 300,000 Hazara people came out on the Kabul streets in support of Ustad Mohaqiq and against the invasion of Kuchis and discrimination by the government.

Finally with the decree of the President, Hamid Karzai, for a temporary removal of invading Kuchis from Hazara villages, and requests from various Mujahideen leaders and the people to end the hunger strike, Ustad Mohaqiq ended his 8-day hunger strike.