Sayed Mansur Naderi

Sayed Mansur Naderi is a leader (Sayed of Kayan) of an Ismaili Shi'a community centred in Baghlan Province of Afghanistan.

This community although Shia is smaller than the mainstream Twelver Shia community in Afghanistan.

Naderi served the Afghan monarchy, later the communist government and served as vice president during Majahiden government and in the 1980s, was expelled from his region by the Taliban, and returned to Baghlan following the fall of the Taliban.

He became a general and governor of the province with his militia reaching 13,000 troops by 1989, but at the same time secretly collaborated with insurgent groups, allowing them to operate in Baghlan provided they did not interfere with logistics transport in the region.

During the Mujahideen era in Afghanistan, Sayed Mansur Naderi held the position of vice president under the presidency of Burhanuddin Rabbani.

Throughout this period, Naderi, alongside the Ismaili community, exerted influence in several northern provinces of Afghanistan, including Baghlan, Badakhshan, Samangan, Kunduz, and Balkh.

His role extended beyond administrative duties; he actively participated in peace negotiations between various Mujahideen factions.

The region of Kayan, where Naderi was based, gained a reputation as a center for peace and negotiations, reflecting his efforts to broker peace among conflicting groups during a tumultuous time in Afghanistan's history.

During the 1990s Taliban period, Sayed Mansoor Naderi and his son Sayed Jafar Naderi fought against Taliban until August 1998.

The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) has been a major contributor to these efforts, allocating over $1 billion towards the rehabilitation of the country post-Taliban era (1996-2001).

This financial commitment underscores the network's dedication to fostering sustainable development in Afghanistan.

Sayed Mansur Naderi, serving as a prominent Ismaili leader within Afghanistan, has been pivotal in navigating the complex political landscape of the country.

His establishment of the National Solidarity Party of Afghanistan and his efforts to integrate Ismailis into the political framework significantly influenced the community's representation in government.

Ismailis have held various key positions, including seats in the Afghan parliament and roles within the executive branch, such as the State Ministry for Peace and the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing.

Additionally, Ismailis have served as Senior Advisors to former President Ashraf Ghani, highlighting their active involvement in governance and peace-building initiatives.

In the political landscape of Afghanistan, the National Solidarity Party of Afghanistan, led by Sayed Mansur Naderi, and the Ismaili community have played active roles in Afghanistan's electoral processes.

When, Taliban tookover Northern Afghanistan including Kayan in 1998, the Ismaili forces were defeated and Mansoor apparently took refuge in Uzbekistan.

The Ismaili community, under the leadership of the Imam of the Ismaili Muslims, Prince Karim Aga Khan, has been instrumental in the development and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2021, a period marked by significant political transitions culminating in the fall of the Republic Government of Afghanistan.

He returned from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban, in 2002.

He was elected to the Wolesi Jirga (lower house of the Afghan Parliament) in 2005, and was the founder of the Ismaili-based National Solidarity Party of Afghanistan (Paiwand Milli).

His son Sayed Jafar Naderi also achieved note as a leader in Baghlan, becoming a warlord and later governor of Baghlan Province during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

During the 2009 presidential elections, they supported Hamid Karzai, organizing election rallies in the northern regions of Afghanistan as well as in the capital, Kabul.

Sayed Mansoor's daughter Farkhunda Zahra Naderi is a well-known rights activist in Afghanistan and also serves as member of Afghan parliament elected in 2010 with the highest vote from Kabul province.

The manuscript was completed and unveiled in 2012.

This initiative reflects Sayed Mansur Naderi's dedication to cultural preservation within the Islamic tradition.

The creation of the handwritten Quran represents a significant cultural achievement, underscoring the importance of scholarship and the arts within the Islamic community.

It serves as an example of the enduring legacy of Islamic culture and its contribution to global heritage, emphasizing the commitment to the preservation and celebration of Islamic scholarly and artistic traditions.

His son Sayed Jafar Naderi has been appointed security advisor to Afghan first vice president Abdul Rashid Dostum in 2014.

In the subsequent 2014 presidential elections, the Ismailis in Afghanistan lent their support to Ashraf Ghani.

Sadat Mansoor Naderi, his another son nominated by Afghan president Ashraf Ghani as Urban Development minister, assumed office on April 22, 2015.and then in 2020, he was appointed as State Minister for Peace for Afghanistan.

During the Afghan monarchy, Sayed Mansur served as Vice President of Parliament under King Mohammed Zahir Shah.

Following the transition to the communist Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and the Soviet invasion, while the Tajiks and Pashtuns of Baghlan aligned themselves with the insurgent Jamiat-e Islami and Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin, Sayed Mansur received government funding and arms to form a local militia of his traditionally Ismaili supporters.

In the 2019 elections, Sayed Mansur Naderi and his political party expressed their support for Abdullah Abdullah.

This involvement reflects the political engagement and support patterns of the Ismaili community and the National Solidarity Party of Afghanistan across different electoral cycles in the country.

Sayed Mansur Naderi, recognized for his leadership within the religious community of Afghanistan, has notably contributed to the enrichment of Islamic culture.

His contributions include the significant role of patron in the creation of the world's largest handwritten Quran.

This project, which was undertaken by a team of scholars over a period of five years, resulted in a manuscript that is currently housed in the Hakim Naser Khusraw Balkhi Cultural Center in Kabul, Afghanistan.