Mawlawi Matiul Haq Khalis was appointed as the head of the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) in early July 2024. Prior to this role, he served as the President of the Afghanistan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) from October 2021 to July 2024.
Born in 1961 in the Khogyani district of Nangarhar province, Khalis hails from a family deeply rooted in Afghan jihad. His father, the late Mawlawi Mohammad Younus Khalis, was a prominent jihadist figure who fought against the Soviets and later against the U.S./NATO forces. Matiul Haq Khalis received his early education from his father and uncles, Mawlawi Mohammad Yusuf and Mawlawi Mohammad Ishaq Mohaqi, before the family migrated to Pakistan after the communist coup in Afghanistan. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1986 from the University of Madinah in Saudi Arabia and his master’s degree in Islamic Studies from the University of Punjab, Pakistan.
In 1986, he taught at Al-Hijra Wal-Jihad Madrassa in Shamshutu Camp in Peshawar, Pakistan, and was responsible for establishing relations with foreign organizations on behalf of the Hezb-e-Islami jihadist party led by his father. During the first Taliban rule in the 1990s, Khalis served as the deputy director of education in Nangarhar province. Later, he actively supported the Taliban’s campaign and played a significant role in military and media engagements. In 2019, he was appointed a member of the Taliban’s negotiating team in Doha, Qatar, and in 2020, as a member of the Taliban’s Political Office in Doha. In addition to his native Pashto, he speaks fluent Arabic and Urdu and memorized the Quran at the age of 55.
