The Taliban is in power after the latest coup in Afghanistan. One of the 7 most powerful leaders of the Taliban, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai (60) was once a Gentleman Cadet at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun.
His comrades from the 1982 batch of the IMA had named him ‘Sheru’.
His comrades from this batch of IMA tell that Stanikzai. He was of strong body, his height was not very much. Apart from this, he was also not of fanatical religious views. Stanikzai was 20 when he joined the IMA with 45 Gentlemen Cadets in the Karen Company of Bhagat Battalion.
Retired Major General DA Chaturvedi was his batchmate. He says, ‘Everybody liked him. He looked a little older than the other cadets of the academy. He had a thick mustache. At that time his views were not fanatical. He was just like an average Afghan cadet who was happy to be here. Retired Major General Chaturvedi has received Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Sena Medal.
In fact, foreign cadets have been getting admission in the IMA since independence. Afghan cadets were getting this facility since 1971 after the Indo-Pak war. Stanikzai was the direct recruit of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces.
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By 1996, Stanikzai had left the army and joined the Taliban. He was involved in talks with the US President Clinton’s government regarding diplomatic recognition of the Taliban. In a 1997 New York Times article, Stanikzai was described as the acting foreign minister of the Taliban government. It was also said that he had learned to speak English from a college in India.
Years later, he became the Taliban’s chief negotiator. His English speaking skills and military training earned him a good position in the Taliban. When the Taliban opened its political office in Doha, senior Taliban leaders started coming there. Stanikzai has been representing the Taliban since 2012.
After this, from the year 2019, when the Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar took over the task, Stanikzai returned. Despite this, he remains one of the Taliban’s top negotiators.
