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

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. He was 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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

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 ...

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 Ghaziabad district () is a largely suburban district of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. It is also a core part of the National Capital Region. The city of Ghaziabad is the administrative headquarters of the district. This district is ...

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- ...

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 took place in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from December 1979 to February 1989. Marking the beginning of the 46-year-long Afghan conflict, it saw the Soviet Union and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic o ...

, 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 Gail ...

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

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

overthrew 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) ...

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 to 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 repr ...

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

Governor of Kunar Province

He was appointed the Governor of

on July 15, 2013. As governor, Jalala expressed a desire to improve a variety of social conditions in Kunar. His priorities were peace and reconciliation, anti-corruption, and counter-narcotics, but other objectives included 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 acknowledged that tackling these social issues would 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 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 Chitral () is a city situated on the Kunar River, Chitral River in northern area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It serves as the capital of the Lower Chitral District, and was previously the capital of Chitral District, and before ...

who ruled from 1858 to 1892. The ninth son of Aman ul-Mulk II, 'Abdu’l Rahman Khan of Jalala, emigrated from Chitral, in what is now

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

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

Kabul Kabul 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. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

, he settled at Jalala in Kunar, within the

Kunar Valley Kunar Valley is a valley in Afghanistan and Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a popul ...

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