Matin Bek (born in 1987 in Hazar Sumuch District, Takhar Province[1]), also known as Abdul Matin Beyk, was the Chief of Staff to President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani.[2]
Early life and education
editHe was born in Takhar province in 1987. He has a bachelor's degree from Delhi University and a master's degree in political science from Jawaharlal Nehru University.[1] He was one of 29 children his father had with his 4 wives.[3]
Political career
editBek has worked as an adviser to the Ministry of Interior Affairs and to the deputy head of National Directorate of Security for provinces. [4]
In 2017 Bek was appointed chairman of the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG).[4] In this role he focused on developing a merit based model of appointing governors rather than the patronage based network and also worked on women's rights. [5] He was a member of the negotiating committee between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban. [6]
He was a strong supporter of ousted president Ashraf Ghani following the Fall of Kabul in 2021. Bek later said he wished he had not supported Ghani, saying, "I had lost my father, members of my family, and I dreamt a united and developed country and was struggling for my dream Afghanistan... Today I realized that I was deceived and betrayed."[7]
Media
editHe was interviewed for the BBC documentary Afghanistan: Getting Out. [8][9]
Personal life
editHis wife is Adela Raz. She was the Afghan Ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States from 26 July 2021 to 18 February 2022.[10] They starred in a BBC World Service podcast together.[11]
Bek's father, Abdul Motalib Bek, was a Tajik tribal leader, member of parliament, and anti-Soviet Mujahid of the United Front, who was killed by a Taliban suicide bomber on 25 December 2011.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b "Biography of Abdul Matin Bek, Member of the Peace Negotiation Team of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan | AfGOV". smp.gov.af. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ^ "Inside the Fall of Kabul". The New York Times. 2021-12-10. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ^ Mashal, Mujib (2012-08-13). "Afghanistan's Princelings: Are the Children of the 'Mujahedin' Ready to Rule?". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ^ a b "Ghani Appoints Matin Bek as New IDLG Chairman". TOLOnews. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ^ "Afghan Women Harassed into Unemployment". Inter Press Service. 2013-05-17. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ^ "Afghanistan peace deal: Taliban walk out of 'fruitless' talks". BBC News. 2020-04-07. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ^ Lalzoy, Najibullah (2021-10-27). "Ashraf Ghani's chief of staff apologizes for supporting him". The Khaama Press News Agency. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ^ Rees, Jasper (2022-08-14). "Afghanistan: Getting Out, review: a smart and sensitive overview of a complicated conflict". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ^ Afghanistan: Getting Out (Documentary), 2022-08-14, retrieved 2022-08-26
- ^ Swan, Jonathan (2021-10-03). "Afghan ambassador: Biden doesn't care about fate of Afghan girls". Axios. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ^ An eyewitness account from the presidential palace as the Taliban encircle Kabul - BBC World Service, retrieved 2022-08-26
- ^ "Growing Up An Afghan Warlord's Son". NPR.org. Retrieved 2022-08-26.