Defending his name in his election campaign against corruption allegations which were seen in US diplomatic reports in 2012, Gul Agha Sherzai has steadily risen to become one of the prime contenders for the Afghan polls. He was born in Kandahar province, the Taliban’s stronghold in Afghanistan.

He served as a commander of the Mahaz-i-Milli Party’s military wing and was also the head of the unit in Kandahar at the onset of the civil war. He was appointed to the post of the Governor of Kandahar but was toppled from power by the Taliban, following which he escaped to Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan in Pakistan.

In 2001, he returned to Afghanistan as the head of a 3,000 strong militia. With renewed resolve and adequate support, he managed to reclaim his title as the Governor of Kandahar. This feat also marked the first territory liberated in southern Afghanistan from the Taliban’s control.

After President Hamid Karzai ordered in Aug 2003 that officials could not keep both civil and military positions, Sherzai was replaced with Yousef Pashtun as the Governor of Kandahar.

In 2004, he became the Governor of Nangarhar province after having served as a Special Advisor to Karzai.

Currently, he is contesting for the presidency with Sayed Hussain Alimi Balkhi as First Vice President and Mohammad Hashim Zarea as Second Vice President.

- Research and text by Fatema Imani