Mr. Shir Muhammad Abbas Stanekzai, S/O Haji Padshah Khan, was born in 1959 in Abbas village, Baraki Barak district, Logar province, Afghanistan. His early education was conducted at a local mosque of his village and in Umar Khan School in Kabul, later on, he graduated from the Kabul Military Academy.
Under the administration of President Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan, Stanikzai, along with other Afghan cadets, was sent to India for advanced military education. After completing his training in 1981, he returned to Afghanistan and joined the armed resistance against the Soviet occupation.
Stanikzai served as a military instructor in various Mujahideen factions, including Jamiat-e-Islami and Ittehad-e-Islami. In 1985, he became the military commander for the southwestern region of Afghanistan under the Ittehad-e-Islami party. He played a direct role in major military operations in areas like Qalat, Kandahar Airfield, Lashkargah, and other strategic locations. During this period, he developed close ties with prominent leaders of the Taliban movement such as Mullah Burjan, Mullah Misar, Mullah Mohammad Rabbani, and others.
In 1990, Mr. Stanekzai was appointed as the Chief Military Commander of the Harakat-e-Inqilab-e-Islami faction, a post he maintained until the fall of Dr. Najibullah’s communist regime. During the ensuing internal factional conflicts, he remained largely inactive. However, with the rise of the Taliban’s Islamic movement, he joined the movement in the early stages. Initially, he served as the Deputy Head of Foreign Relations in Kandahar. Following the takeover of Kabul, he was appointed as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and later, Deputy Minister of Public Health.
Following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, Stanekzai resumed both military and political struggles, initially becoming a member of the Taliban’s Political Commission, later advancing to Deputy Head of Political Commission.
From August 2015 and January 2019, he served as the head of the IEA’s Political Office in Doha. He played a pivotal role as the chief negotiator representing the IEA in peace talks with the U.S. government. Concurrently, he held positions as a member of the IEA Leadership Council, Deputy of the Political Office, and Deputy Head of the Negotiation Team.
After the U.S. withdrawal on August 15, 2021, and the end of the U.S.-led occupation, Mr. Stanekzai was appointed as the Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.