Ajmal Shams

Ajmal Shams

Ajmal Shams in 2013
President Afghanistan Social Democratic Party
Assumed office
October 2005
Preceded by Shams-ul-Huda Shams
Personal details
Born 1972
Kunar Province, Afghanistan
Political party Afghanistan Social Democratic Party well known as Afghan Millat National Progressive Party
Religion Islam

Early years

Eng. Ajmal Shams (born 1972 in Noorgal district of Kunar province) is the son of the late Shamsul Huda Shams, the former president of the Afghan Social Democratic (Mellat) Party.[1] Shams has been president of the Afghan Social Democratic Party since October 2005. Shams obtained his primary education in his hometown before migrating to Pakistan with his family in the early days of the Communist regime.

Education, academics and professional career

Shams then pursued his education in Peshawar, graduated from the University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar with a B.Sc. degree in civil engineering. Upon graduation he started his career in a lecturer position in Khyber Institute of Technology and continued teaching for several years before departing for the United States for his specialization in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering. In 2002, he obtained his master's degree in civil engineering from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. After finishing his degree, he worked as environmental engineer for a consulting engineering firm in Florida for about a year before returning home due his father insistence and his own love and passion to actively participate in the reconstruction and development of his homeland.

Ajmal Shams at the signing ceremony of USAID funded Land Reform Project along with US Ambassador Eikenberry and Afghan Ministers of Finance Dr. Omar Zakhilwal - June 2011

Eng. Shams worked for about two years as head of the water resources section of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Kabul and later on served briefly as Head of the Engineering Department of the National Solidarity Program in the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development. In 2007, Eng. Shams went to United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he worked for a multinational engineering firm in a senior engineering position where he actively participated in the planning, design and management of large-scale infrastructure projects including the Sheikh Zyed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. In 2009, he came back to Afghanistan and re-joined the Ministry of Rural Development and served in the reputed National Solidarity Program for about a year before joining the Ministry of Urban Developmnent as Director of Planning, Policy and Coordination. In July 2011, Mr. Shams quit the Ministry of Urban Development and joined the Transition Coordination Commission as Policy Advisor to Dr. Ashraf Ghani,Chairman of the Transition Commission.

Eng. Ajmal Shams is certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with Project Management Institute (PMI)and Licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Kentucky, USA

Ajmal Shams with Dr. Ashraf Ghani during a transition conference

Political and party affairs

Eng. Ajmal Shams has been president of Afghanistan Social Democratic Party since October 2005. He was elected by an emergency party congress soon after his father's demise. Born and raised in a political family, Shams has been actively involved in party affairs from a young age. He speaks Pashto, Persian, English and Urdu languages. Shams thoroughly understands national and global politics. He is progressive-minded and forward-looking, and his party strongly supports his leadership due to his enormous energy, political wisdom and talent. Shams regularly writes in national and international newspapers and journals including the News international, Gulf News, Foreign Policy, Asia Times and others. He mainly writes on political, economic and developmental issues.

During the 2014 Presidential Election, Shams' party supported Ashraf Ghani and actively participated in his campaign efforts.

References

  1. ↑ "Database : Afghan Biographies : Shams, Ajmal Eng.". Afghan-bios.info. Retrieved 2015-11-28.

External links

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