Afghan Interior Minister Ali Ahmad Jalali. AFP
Afghan Interior Minister Ali Ahmad Jalali. AFP
Afghan Interior Minister Ali Ahmad Jalali. AFP
Afghan Interior Minister Ali Ahmad Jalali. AFP

Who is Ali Ahmad Jalali, Afghanistan's possible interim leader?


Nada AlTaher
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More than 15 years after his last stint in Afghanistan's government, former interior minister Ali Ahmad Jalali is reportedly being proposed as the country's interim leader after the Taliban's capture of the capital triggered President Ashraf Ghani's departure.

Mr Jalali's name was reportedly put forward in secret meetings at the presidential palace as the insurgents surrounded Kabul on Sunday after a sweeping 10-day offensive that gave them control over most of the country.

Two days earlier, Mr Jalali, an academic and retired army colonel based in the US, criticised Afghanistan's leadership and the state of its army.

“Poor leadership, lack of logistical sustainability, and absence of operational and tactical co-ordination has taken a heavy toll on the lives and reputation of the dedicated Afghan soldiers,” he wrote.

During a 2011 lecture at the UAE's Centre for Strategic Studies and Research, Mr Jalali made a similar argument when Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan's president at the time, set up a High Peace Council to negotiate a political settlement with the Taliban.

“No amount of military power – foreign or domestic – in Afghanistan will produce adequate gains unless the Afghan government improves its capacity to control its territory, win the trust of the people, and prevent infiltration and subversion from abroad,” Mr Jalali said.

US-trained and educated, Mr Jalali was appointed interior minister in 2003 and served in Mr Karzai's transitional government for two years before resigning for what he said were personal reasons.

During his tenure, Mr Jalali was actively involved in reaching a political settlement with the Taliban. Efforts to strike a deal fell through when, Mr Jalali said, Mr Karzai failed to respond to an offer being made by the insurgents.

After his brief political career, Mr Jalali left Afghanistan to become a professor at the Near East South Asia Centre for Strategic Studies at the National Defence University in Washington.

Although supportive of a political solution to the conflict in Afghanistan, Mr Jalali has repeatedly pushed back against the Taliban's insurgency.

In a November tweet, he also claimed the US troop withdrawal announced by Donald Trump would send a "strategic message" to the Taliban, which would "complicate" the talks taking place between the government and the rebels at the time.


What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

Updated: August 16, 2021, 9:19 AM`