Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has been named among the 100 most influential people of 2021 by Time magazine.
Baradar shares space in the American magazine’s list with the likes of US President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping, former US President Donald Trump, US Vice President Kamala Harris, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Barada, deputy prime minister in the Taliban’s newly announced interim government and the top figure in the Doha deal, is a quiet, secretive man who rarely gives public statements or interviews. He represents a more moderate current within the Taliban, TIME Magazine said.
When the US Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad officially signed the peace deal in Doha In February 2020, Baradar was the chief face of the Taliban.
When the Taliban swept to victory in August in Afghanistan, it was on the terms Baradar negotiated. He was said to be making all the major decisions, including the amnesty offered to members of the former regime, the lack of bloodshed when the Taliban entered Kabul and the regime’s contacts and visits with neighboring states, especially China and Pakistan, TIME magazine said.
In 2010, Baradar was arrested in Pakistan by the country’s security forces and released in 2018 when the US intensified efforts to leave Afghanistan.
It is said that Baradar has been given a lower position in the interim Taliban government despite being the co-founder of the Taliban and his remarkable contribution toward negotiations with the US.
The 20 leaders among the 100 most influential people also include US Congresswoman Liz Cheney, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Iran President Ebrahim Raisi, and the Indian politician, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Afghan journalist and women’s rights advocate Mahbouba Seraj also found a place on the list.
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