Mawlawi Atiqullah Haqqani, a senior member of the Taliban’s cultural commission, assumed the role of Deputy Minister of Culture and Arts at the Ministry of Information and Culture in March 2022. Prior to this appointment, he served as the Deputy Minister for Finance and Administration within the same ministry, and before that, as the head of the state-owned Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA). Born in 1977 to Sufi Azizullah, Atiqullah Azizi spent much of his early life as a refugee in Pakistan. His formative education took place at Nomania madrassa in Kahi refugee camp in Hangu. He later pursued Islamic studies at Bahr-ul-Uloom in Miranshah, North Waziristan, and at Siraj-ul-Islam in Hangu. He also pursued his advanced studies under the guidance of Sheikh Amanullah Marwat at Darul Furqan madrassa in Hayatabad, Peshawar. In 1996, he served as the provincial director of information and culture in Logar province during the Taliban’s regime. Subsequently, he held the same position in Nangarhar province from 1997 to 2001. After 2001, he remained actively involved in the Taliban’s insurgency, contributing commentaries and media content under various pseudonyms such as Khyber Ahmad Mujahid, Lutfullah Momand, and Lateef Azam, among others. From 2003 onwards, he oversaw the Taliban’s cultural activities across 22 provinces in Afghanistan. Additionally, has authored several volumes of poetry in Pashto.
