Shaida Mohammad Abdali (, born on 8 November 1978 in

Kandahar Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...

) is the Afghan Ambassador to Japan. He was formerly the Afghan Ambassador to India from 2012 to 2018.

Early life and education

Abdali was born on 8 November 1978 in

. He has M.A. in Strategic Security Studies from the

National Defense University National Defence (or Defense) University (or College) may refer to: :''Alphabetical by country'' University * Marshal Fahim National Defense University, Afghanistan * National Defense University (Azerbaijan) * People's Liberation Army National Defe ...

, and a PhD from the

Jawaharlal Nehru University Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU; ISO: Javāharalāla Neharū Viśvavidyālaya) is a public research university located in Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university ...

Career

Abdali was the Afghan Ambassador to India resident in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

, and also the non-resident Ambassador to

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...

and

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

. He was subsequently nominated by President

Hamid Karzai Hamid Karzai (born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan politician who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from 2002 to 2014, including as the first president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from 2004 to 2014. He previously served a ...

to serve as the Deputy National Security Advisor and Special Assistant to then President of Afghanistan. Ambassador Abdali provided the President with policy and oversight advice on national security issues, and was as such active in Afghan politics. In January 2021, Abdali was appointed as the Afghan Ambassador to Japan. He had been the Ambassador-designate in Tokyo without presenting his

letter of credence A letter of credence (, ) is a formal Diplomatic correspondence, diplomatic letter that designates a diplomat as ambassador to another sovereign state. Commonly known as diplomatic credentials, the letter is addressed from one head of state to an ...

for around four months because of the COVID-19 outbreak in Japan, especially the

Japanese government The Government of Japan is the central government of Japan. It consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and functions under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan. Japan is a unitary state, containing forty- ...

has placed its capital, which includes the Imperial Palace, under a state of emergency due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

on April 25. Abdali eventually presented his letter of credence to

Emperor Naruhito Naruhito (born 23 February 1960) is Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne following the abdication of his father, Akihito, on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era. He is the 126th monarch, according to the traditional order ...

at the Imperial Palace on May 27. Despite the Fall of Kabul to the

Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

in August 2021, Tokyo still hosts Abdali as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Afghanistan.

Personal life

He is married and has four children.

Works published

* ''Afghanistan Pakistan India: A Paradigm Shift'' (July 2016), Pentagon Press,

References

External links

Ambassador's Biography by the Embassy of Afghanistan, Tokyo
* Ambassadors of Afghanistan to Bhutan Ambassadors of Afghanistan to India Ambassadors of Afghanistan to Japan Ambassadors of Afghanistan to the Maldives Ambassadors of Afghanistan to Nepal Jawaharlal Nehru University alumni People from Kandahar 1978 births Living people {{Afghanistan-bio-stub