In 1985, I returned to Afghanistan to join the Panjshir resistance front. For some time, my family and friends had insisted that I migrate to the west, where I could be free to pursue my medical career. However, I had decided that my training could best be put to use in the support of the resistance to Soviet aggression. From Chitral, Pakistan to Panjshir by way of Nooristan, the journey took 11 days on foot and horseback.

After joining the Panjshir front, I met the legendary hero of the resistance, our Amir Sahib Ahmed Shah Massoud, known to the world as Commander Massoud. Joining the resistance, especially Massoud's Panjshir front, was something I deeply believed in. I had heard from others, and later experienced for myself, that the Panjshir front, under the leadership of Commander Massoud, paid special attention to the welfare of the people. I spent my first winter in Panjshir in a town called Safid Shir (in English, "White Lion"). I had gathered some medicine and medical equipment that I had received from the Swedish Committee, which enabled me to set up a clinic. Having a background in surgical training allowed me to care for the injured Mujahideen, local people, and even wounded enemy soldiers captured by the Mujahideen.

This period was the darkest time of the Red Army's occupation in my homeland. Even some parts of the Panjshir valley were under Soviet control. My clinic, fortunately, was in a part of the valley that was free of occupation forces. Also, this is where the Mujahideen had gathered in Panjshir. As a result, we were constantly under bombardment and other military attacks daily. It was unimaginable. Some days there was constant bombardment: no one could move. Only on very cold and snowy days would we receive a temporary respite. Many of local people and Mujahideen lost their lives or were wounded in the enemy attacks. At the clinic I was busy caring for the injured and training a few of the Mujahideen and local people, who had some education, to learn first aid and basic medical care. Some trainees were eventually sent out for extra training, and to this day some of these brave people still work in areas of healthcare.

Eventually, I began working closely with Commander Massoud. At that time, in Panjshir and Northern Afghanistan, there was an organization named Shora-i-Nezaar (Council of the North), which was under the umbrella of the Jamiat-e-Islami. Commander Massoud was the leader of this organization. I supported him first as an associate and adviser, and later on as his spokesperson.
As I mentioned earlier, during the struggle for liberation, in the fighting fronts under the command of Massoud, much attention was paid to the people and their well-being. Various committees such as Health, Social Services, Education, Culture and Reconstruction were created to handle the affairs of the communities. This is an important example which shows that despite the involvement in heavy resistance fighting, keeping up with the communities and paying attention to all aspects of peoples' lives was a reflection of Commander Massoud's leadership.

I witnessed the dedication and discipline of an organization that was community-based, one that had put the people at the center of its efforts. I remember when a council was formed to handle the affairs of a small town. The few educated members came together with the elders, a couple of resistance commanders, and a few young members to form the council (Shora). Most decisions that took place in the town were taken by the council. In other words, under Commander Massoud, there was a resistance organization and an elected community organization. This was the reason why in our fronts there was an unequivocal support of the people and the communities, and why this support continued throughout the years of resistance.

In the years that I spent with the leader of the resistance, I learned a lot about the character of Commander Massoud. He was a brave freedom fighter, a pious Muslim, and an Afghan who believed in fighting for the freedom of his country and his people. At the same time, he was thinking about peace and had a vision of prosperity for his country and his people.

Gradually my association with Commander Massoud turned into a close working relationship and friendship which continued until the end of his life. He was a most remarkable leader, who on one hand was defending his country and people and on the other was constantly focused on building a solid future for Afghanistan. His words had many dimensions, and he supported them with his actions. I had the great privilege and good fortune to gain my most valuable lifetime experiences with my friend, Ahmed Shah Massoud. Despite the tremendous difficulties and unfavorable odds of our life with the resistance, both Commander Massoud and I were happy and satisfied with the knowledge that we were on the right path.

Learning about the loss of my father

My father passed away soon after I joined the Panjshir resistance in 1985, but because Kabul and the north were separated by the war, I was unaware of his death for some time. In those times, it was our custom that about once a year the Mujahideen would approach the line closest to the opposite front so that we could meet our family and loved ones. A year after my father passed away, I came to a small town in Jabul Saraj to meet my family. My mother, sisters, and other members of my family came to visit me. It was then that I learned my father had passed away soon after I had left home.

This is just one example of the difficult times we lived through. But our people endured these hardships together. We shared one another’s burdens. When the Mujahideen came to certain towns to meet their families, the people of those towns would accommodate them with housing and all the support they needed. This showed the world how a nation had come together in the search for the common goal of freedom. This is why we knew that the occupation would end one day, and that the people of Afghanistan would determine their own destiny.

When I was young, I learned the basics of the Quran's reading, translation, interpretation and how we must understand and appreciate this Holy Book. Later, I studied the basics of the Arabic language and Islamic Law (Faqhe). My father taught us - in fact this was our entire family's daily program.

Later, I enjoyed reading and studying, under my fathers observation during the first years of elementary school, the nebulous creations of Rumi, such as the Mathnavi, and also Saadi, with the Gulestan and Bostaan. This was the beginning of my interest in literature. I shouldn’t fail to mention that I had a great teacher at Naderia High School, whose name was Khazaiee. He was a strong instructor of literature and he motivated me to study further. Later, with great sadness, I learned that Khazaiee had been arrested and killed after the April 1978 coup d'état.

But no one could kill the Afghans' love of fine writing. During the Holy War, in fact from the very first day of my time with Ahmad Shah Massoud, there were many famous political and literary scholars among us, personalities like Dr. Mahdi. When we would stop somewhere for a break, and while drinking tea, invariably a discussion about poetry began. It was so interesting for me to discover that Commander Massoud was not only a fan of poetry, but that he understood it, deeply.

Since then, in the rare spare time I had with Massoud we would have joyful talks about literature and poetry. We would read the Hafiz book, which we carried all the time with us, and also we would enjoy other famous Dari classics. I have so many great memories from those days. This, too, is a kind of poetry, created through our shared experiences.

A sweet memory

I remember a night when the moon was so full. We were passing a small bridge, just two logs across the river, at the village of Worsej. Commander Massoud turned and asked us all to remember any poem that came to mind about the moon, and to say it out loud. Everyone repeated the words they remembered, the lines of poetry about the beauty of the moon, and its importance in our people's culture.

One of our friends was silent until the rest of us had finished. Finally he spoke up and said: "I too have a poem about the Moon." When he finished this long poem, everyone burst out with laughter – his poem was not about the moon, but about the sun. He laughed too. It was a moment of joy we shared together.
These times were frequent among our Mujahideen. Even on the night before his assassination, Commander Massoud along with his friends enjoyed poetry, and reading from the Hafiz.

Without any exaggeration I can say that the few years of the freedom fighters' government in Kabul (1992-1995) were the most hectic years of my life. During that time I was the spokesperson of the Defense Ministry. There were times that I would also travel to the North or West of the country as the envoy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, however most of the time I was at the side of Ahmed Shah Massoud. Unfortunately, our efforts to bring peace and progress to Afghanistan were sabotaged by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

Hekmatyar's grab for power set off renewed fighting in 1992, just as the Mujahideen arrived in Kabul after the collapse of the Communist regime. Commander Massoud spoke to Hekmatyar for about one hour via wireless, appealing for peace. Massoud used both soft and serious language to explain to Hekmatyar the consequences of war for our people. But foreign intervention prevented a solution, and so the war continued. The Western countries that had helped us during the Holy War soon lost interest in Afghanistan, and turned away.

During this period I was married and started a family. We lived in Kabul until the Taliban took over in 1996. Then my family and I, including my mother, wife and our first daughter, moved to Panjshir. During the resistance to the Taliban and their foreign patrons, my family lived in Panjshir with me until I was forced to send them to India. I continued my work as spokesperson for the resistance fronts of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and remained in close contact with Commander Massoud. Today, I have three daughters and a son.

When the Taliban's invasion of Kabul forced our government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to move to the north, I became Deputy Foreign Minister. I represented Afghanistan in four General Assemblies of the United Nations. I also participated in the U.N.'s General Assembly for the Millennium, where I was part of the delegation headed by Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani, who at that time was the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. During this period, most of my time was spent in Afghanistan, while the rest was dedicated to traveling to the capitals of many foreign countries. Our priority was explaining the cause of the Afghan resistance to the Taliban regime, and the dangerous situation it had caused into Afghanistan.

My goal was to explain the magnitude of the global challenge posed by the Taliban. Certainly these extremists were focused mainly in Afghanistan, but in fact their harsh ways affected nations far beyond Afghanistan's borders. In conferences, meetings and talks I attended with world leaders and Afghans who lived abroad, I used every possible means to explain the true nature of the regime, and the consequences of challenges that our country, and the world, was facing at that time.

In the later years of the resistance I became the Acting Foreign Minister. Although the capital, Kabul, was under Taliban control at the time, all Afghanistan embassies were active, with the exception of those in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan. Our Afghan Embassies represented the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, who were the resistance forces allied against Taliban. In all major international meetings of the time, the Afghanistan Islamic Republic’s delegation represented the Afghan people.

Unfortunately, the world viewed the situation in Afghanistan as an internal issue. The Taliban and their foreign supporters also liked to describe Afghanistan as an ethnic issue between North and South. For example, the term "Northern Alliance" was created by them to underscore their depiction of the civil war in Afghanistan. This term was created outside of Afghanistan in an attempt to cover up the truth about Al-Qaeda and Taliban, and their alliance. It was part of the effort by the international terrorists' foreign supporters to wage an all out war against our Resistance forces. It took a very long time before the world was able to understand the truth about Afghanistan. It was only during last year of resistance to the Taliban and al Qaeda that the spirit and tone of global opinion began to change.

In the first days of September, 2001, it was decided that Commander Massoud, in the capacity of Vice President of the Islamic Government of Afghanistan, would give a speech to the UN General Assembly. A few months earlier, during a visit to Europe, he delivered a very clear message, openly warning of the dangers brewing in Afghanistan. His speeches In Paris and Brussels did much to change opinion among the member states of the European Union, and in the West in general. Previously, our Islamic Government of Afghanistan was seen as just one side in a civil war. Now world leaders were beginning to see that our enemies, the Taliban and al Qaeda, posed a threat to their people, too.

On the 5th of September, 2001, just six days before the terror attacks of 9/11, and four days before the assassination of our Aamir Sahib, Ahmed Shah Massoud, these issues were discussed for the first time at the top levels of the U.S. State Department, the Pentagon, and at the Security Council of the United Nations.

Tragically for all of us, these discussions proved to be too late. As these days of early September passed, I was on a diplomatic mission to South Africa at the request of Commander Massoud. The meeting was organized by the UN and was the first high-level conference to be aimed at the elimination of racial discrimination. Nelson Mandela was the chairman. After the conference, I traveled briefly to New Delhi to visit my family, before going on to Paris. There, I was to meet with the head of the French parliament, who was to travel to Rome for a meeting with the former King Zahir Shah.

It was in New Delhi that I first heard about the attack on Commander Massoud. Then came word that he had died of his injuries. Our Aamir Sahib, the most effective and respected leader in Afghanistan, had been martyred. This was the most shocking news, and it was definitely the saddest time in my life.

At first I had hoped that we might get Commander Massoud to an international hospital, one of the best. But then came the blow, the news that it was too late, that nothing could be done. I decided to return immediately to Afghanistan. There were no direct flights between New Delhi and Afghanistan, so I had to first fly to Uzbekistan and then Tajikistan. I arrived in Dushanbe on the evening of September 11th. It was there I heard the news about the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, and Washington DC and Pennsylvania.

Like so many others, I found the horror of all of these events difficult to absorb. At our resistance office in Dushanbe, I saw the television images. My senses were nearly overwhelmed. First Commander Massoud’s assassination, now this. I was certain that this was the work of al-Qaeda.

I returned to Afghanistan and visited our colleagues who had been wounded in the cowardly assassination of Commander Massoud. Afterward, I went to the Darkadar district of Takhar province in Afghanistan where I met with his Excellency Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani, the president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Various Mujahideen leaders had gathered there with him. I pointed out that the outrageous attacks of September 11th would result in added pressure on the Taliban from the international community, mainly from the United States of America.

In the next few days the funeral and burial ceremony for Commander Massoud took place in the Panjshir Valley. We were heartbroken by Massoud's passing, but even more determined to prevail over the Taliban and al Qaeda. While I was in Panjshir, the American authorities contacted me regarding their plans. At the same time, I was involved in discussions with United Nations representatives Francesc Vendrell and Lakhdar Brahimi. Finally, the international community was focused on the political future of Afghanistan.

These discussions continued when they visited Afghanistan after the Taliban fled Kabul. At the conclusion of these meetings, a consensus was reached among the various Afghan leaders and international representatives, which led to the formation of the Bonn Germany conference. The delegation from Afghanistan was headed by Mr.Younas Qanooni.

During the Bonn Conference I remained in Afghanistan. My task was to continue to bring together the various resistance commanders and Afghan community leaders so that we could work towards finding a peaceful and political solution, one that would guide the future development of Afghanistan. The eventual outcome of the Bonn conference was agreed by all parties. This marked not only a highpoint for me but a turning point in Afghanistan's political history. Best of all, we had laid the foundation for a peaceful transition of power.

My role in Government

An interim government was formed in Kabul. Finally, Afghanistan was welcomed back into the international community after many years of isolation. An active and smoothly functioning diplomatic framework was essential. This was a huge challenge. After so many years of war and political turmoil, Afghanistan was burdened with a destroyed physical infrastructure and a broken administrative system, with no ready means of repair. The Foreign Affairs Ministry, which was inherited from the Taliban regime, had fallen in an unimaginable state of decay, and was incapable of dealing in any way with the international community.

With world powers finally on our doorstep offering assistance, we needed to quickly put together a proactive and qualified diplomatic team for the Foreign Affairs Ministry. As well, our foreign missions abroad had to be revived. Through my efforts and those of the dedicated Afghans under my supervision, we were able to establish a functioning group both in Afghanistan as well as abroad. With relentless commitment to Afghanistan we were able to gain recognition around the world as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.

During both the interim and transitional government periods, I made many official trips abroad to meet with world leaders. Our objective was to form new alliances, and to oversee the establishment of new missions in countries where Afghanistan would be officially represented for the first time. We also had many foreign dignitaries and envoys visiting Afghanistan, reciprocating with their commitment, and strengthen our alliances. The Foreign Affairs Ministry, with the very limited resources at its disposal, also had the burden of taking on the lead role in establishing and maintaining a balance between its neighboring countries and the multinational foreign troops in Afghanistan. A number of these nations had been on opposing sides during the Cold war.

As well as guiding the formation of our foreign policy, and creating the framework for Afghanistan's global diplomacy, I played a key role in the formation of the Grand Assembly (Loy Jirga) which was convened in 2002. I also contributed to the drafting and enactment of our new Afghanistan National Constitution. I served as the Foreign Affairs minister during the interim, transitional and first nationally elected government. In March of 2006, I was replaced by Mr. Dadfar Rangeen Spanta in a cabinet reshuffle by President Karzai. The president offered me a different cabinet post. I decided to respectfully decline this offer.

After my departure from the Foreign Affairs Ministry, I continued to serve our nation of Afghanistan by participating in international and regional conferences, and taking on the role as Secretary General of the Massoud Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization honoring the memory of our Aamir Sahib, Ahmed Shah. Later, I served as the head of the Afghanistan delegation to the Afghanistan-Pakistan Peace Jirga, or conference, which was held in Pakistan in October, 2008. The Peace Jirga's aim was to combat terrorism in the region. I was subsequently asked to become the president of the upcoming Afghanistan-Pakistan Peace Jirga, but due to recent political and military changes in Pakistan it has become difficult for me to continue in this role.

Throughout my career, I have always tried to reinforce and strengthen my relationship with the people of Afghanistan. These bonds, first formed during my years of resistance, have since grown through my work in diplomacy and government. Now, at the urging of the people I am sworn to serve, and in view of the deteriorating security and political situation in Afghanistan, I have chosen to stand as a candidate for President of Afghanistan.

I stand for peace and freedom in Afghanistan.

When our freedom was threatened by the Soviet Union, I was here, resisting the invaders. When civil war tormented Afghanistan, I was here, striving for peace and unity. When the Taliban denied our people of their freedom, I was here, resisting them, helping to force them out of power.

And now, as you and I face another emergency, I am here, asking for your faith and your support. Together, we can rebuild trust between Afghans and their government. Together, we can overcome the failures of a poor administration. Together, we can defeat the forces of violence and hatred. Together, we can be one. One Afghanistan, one people, one future of prosperity and peace.
God willing, you will join me in this quest.