Wardak Envisions New Afghanistan

Hamed Wardak has been critical of the current president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai. Wardak believes that Karzai has made, “compromises with the devil” because he has cooperated with militia leaders, drug traffickers and Islamist leaders.

Although Wardak does believe that Karzai is a patriot and sincerely wants to do what’s best for Afghanistan, he is not convinced, and disagrees in a fundamental way, with many of the policy decisions Karzai has made.

Wardak explained:

“These policies and bad allies can jeopardize our young democracy. It’s also distressing to our movement that many Americans and Western observers believe that only President Karzai is a bulwark against the Taliban. To us, this is an insult to our country, our long history and our new democracy.”

AACC Founder Hamed Wardak

In addition to leading his Afghan movement for change, “Sacrificers for Peace,” (Fedayeen-e-Sol), Hamed Wardak is also one of the founders of the Afghan-American Chamber of Commerce.

Wardak is striving to encourage a strong relationship between the United States and Afghanistan, and to encourage the U.S. to help Afghanistan overcome their Islamic political rivals who Wardak says are backed by Iran.

“Right now our allies, the Americans and our European friends, focus on state institution development, you don’t have anything politically. But our neighboring countries, particularly Iran, are focused on creating a movement, a political apparatus on the ground,” he said. “Our movement believes that the American and allied long-term presence is vital and desirable for building a stable and democratic order,”

he added.

Leader for Change in Afghanistan:Hamed Wardak

Fedayeen-e-Sol, or “Sacrificers for Peace” is a movement which sees itself as an ideological alternative to the Taliban movement in Afghanistan. Leading this movement for change is Hamed Wardak, the son of the Afghan defense minister and a graduate of Georgetown University and a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University.

The 31-year old leader is hoping to lead his country on the path to free markets, low taxes and stifling the influential hold that drug trafficking and militias have had on Afghan society.

Hamed Wardak – Sacrificers for Peace

In January 2007 the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute held a forum titled “An Afghan Civil Society Movement — Sacrificers for Peace” at the Rome Auditorium, 1619 Massachusetts Ave. NW.

The keynote speaker was Mr. Hamed Wardak, the Founder and then temporary President of Fedayeen-e-Sol – “Sacrificers for Peace.” Fedayeen-e-Sol is a multiethnic civil society movement that seeks to bring about national and governmental reform in Afghanistan. As a broad-based movement, Wardak has ensured that this movement approach all of Afghan society and enact change a reform through non-violent means.

Mr. Wardak has toiled greatly to help Afghanistan move into the future as a democratic, liberal and western power.

Wardak:U.S. Should Support ANA

In an article published in May, in the on-line journal Asia Chronicle, Hamed Wardak lists ten ideas he hopes the United States can implement in order to defeat the Taliban and al Qaeda and to bring security and stability to Afghanistan. Here is a brief summary of one of those ideas.

The United States should support the Afghan National Army: According to public opinion polls of Afghani citizens, the Afghan National Army, (ANA) is the most respected government body in Afghanistan. The 3,600 U.S. troops now in Afghanistan cost more money to U.S. taxpayers than if the United States would invest in the 250,000 ANA soldiers who themselves could defeat al Qaeda and the Taliban.

Hamed Wardak Proposal for U.S. in Afghanistan

Hamed Wardak suggests several strategies which he believes can help the United States achieve its goals in Afghanistan.  These ideas appeared in the on-line journal ‘Asia Chronicle’ which discusses regional issues and global insights.  Briefly introducing the subject of U.S.-Afghan relations, Wardak explains that Afghanistan was a stable country until the invasion of the Soviet Union in the 1980s. Then, when the Soviets were defeated and forced out of Afghanistan the United States and the allies of NATO did not get involved in the recovery of Afghanistan, which allowed the Taliban to gain power, which as a result gave a place for al Qaeda to headquarter in safety.

Hamed Wardak argues that today, just as in the mid-1990s the Afghan people only turn towards the Taliban to fill the security vacuum left by years of turmoil. Wardak believes that if the Afghan people felt that they could rely on the U.S. for this security, they would support U.S. involvement in Afghanistan.

Emerging Afghan Business Professionals

Hamed Wardak is one of a new generation of successful Afghan businessmen who are emerging from the war torn Afghanistan to take responsibility for the rebuilding of their country. Many of these young businessmen and entrepreneurs are known not only in Afghanistan, but also in the US and European business worlds.
The son of Abdul Rahim Wardak, the Defense Minister of Afghanistan, Hamed Wardak has continually enlisted his abilities and experience for the betterment of his country of birth and fellow Afghans. (Wardak was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, and after growing up in Pakistan and the US he has returned to serve his country, living between Washington and Kabul.)
Wardak has worked together with USAID, the United States Department of Defense and other international concerns who have invested in Afghanistan’s future. He even served as the Afghan Finance Minister’s private envoy to the United States during the period 2002-2003.

Hamed Wardak Sponsors Exhibit of Art Treasures from Afghanistan

ca. 2200-1900 bce

National Construction and Logistics, NCL, whose president is Hamed Wardak, is among several sponsors whose help has made it possible for the exhibit “Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul” to travel throughout the United States during 2009.

This exhibit is especially meaningful as it displays some 228 artifacts from as far back as 2200 BCE and as recent as the 2nd century AD whose whereabouts were feared stolen or destroyed during the 25 years of intense conflict in Afghanistan. When the re-emergence of these amazing objects was announced in 2003 there was a collective sigh of relief and a universal desire for these pieces of ancient art to be displayed in the United States.

According to Hamed Wardak

“The emergence of these objects after 25 years of struggle is emblematic of the beauty of Afghanistan and the resilient spirit of its people. This exhibition brings the rich and diverse culture of Afghanistan to the Washington area, and we are proud to help make that possible.”

Hamed Wardak: Afghan-American Chamber of Commerce

Hamed Wardak is the President and CEO of NCL Holdings, LLC, which is a global professional services company that has been instrumental in many projects that generate local employment in Afghanistan.

Wardak is the founding vice-president of the Afghan-American Chamber of Commerce (AACC) that is the leading organization facilitating American-Afghanistan business, investment and trade ties. The AACC advocates for a free and open market economy in Afghanistan and it endeavors to establish and strengthen U.S.-Afghanistan economic relations. The AACC serves the interests of its members through a variety of programs geared at introducing the US business community to the wonderful opportunities available in the burgeoning economy and emerging market of Afghanistan.

Hamed Wardak, an Afghani-American, is the son of Afghanistan’s Minister of Defense, Abdul Rahim Wardak, who spends his time between the US and Kabul.