MOHAMMAD HANEEF ATMAR
FORMER MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF AFGHANISTAN
Mr Mohammad Haneef Atmar is one of Afghanistan’s well-known technocrats and statesmen, with more than three decades of distinguished public service in humanitarian, political, and governmental roles.
Born in Afghanistan in 1968, Mr Atmar completed his primary and secondary education in the country and pursued tertiary studies in public security and law enforcement in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, and in post-war development and recovery (MA) in the United Kingdom in late 1990s. He began his early public service career with the Government of Afghanistan in the late 1980s and, during the 1990s, worked in the humanitarian and human rights sectors with non-governmental organisations and the United Nations, supporting refugees and communities affected by conflict and natural disasters in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries.
Following the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, Mr Atmar held several senior positions in the Afghan government, including Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, Minister of Education, Minister of the Interior, National Security Adviser, and, most recently, Minister of Foreign Affairs until August 2021. His leadership was widely recognised for driving reforms in development, governance, diplomacy, public security, and law enforcement across the country.
Mr Atmar has also played a pivotal role in shaping Afghanistan’s democratic politics. He was a founding member of the Rights and Justice Party, led the Peace and Moderation presidential campaign in 2019, and was a key contributor to the establishment of the Afghanistan Peace and Justice Movement in 2022. Alongside his public service and political career, he has published extensively on humanitarian affairs, public policy, organisational and institutional reform, and state accountability, as well as on Afghanistan’s current affairs.
He currently advises international academic institutions and works as a private sector consultant across Europe and the Middle East.
Mr Atmar is fluent in Pashto, Dari (Persian), and English, with a basic knowledge of Urdu and Russian.