Rahmatullah Kakazada has been serving as the Director-General of Public Relations and Information at the Ministry of Interior since March 2022.
He first joined the Taliban movement in the mid-1990s while in Peshawar, Pakistan. During the first Taliban regime, he led the Pashtanay Forwarding Agency in Karachi, later serving as Consul General at the Taliban consulate in Karachi until 2001. Following the removal of the Taliban government in 2001, Kakazada continued to support the insurgency, notably through his work on the Al-Emarah Arabic and Shafaq lil Aalam websites, and later within the Taliban’s Information and Culture Commission.
After the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, Kakazada was detained by Pakistani authorities and imprisoned for six months. After his release, he briefly served as Director of the Public Protection Force for two weeks before being appointed to a public affairs role within the Ministry of Interior.
Kakazada received his early education at a madrassa led by his late father in their hometown in Ghazni province. His family later relocated to Zhob district in Balochistan, Pakistan, where he pursued Islamic studies under several prominent Pakistani religious leaders, including Sheikh Mohammad Taqi Usmani in Karachi.
His family originates from Waghaz district in Ghazni province, although he was born in Ali Khankhel village of Jaghatu district, also in Ghazni. His father, Hayatullah, widely known as ‘Mullah Kaka’, was a prominent figure during the Afghan jihad against Soviet forces. During the Mujahideen government in the early 1990s, Hayatullah served as Governor of Ghazni. Rahmatullah later adopted the last name 'Kakazada' in reference to his father.
Rahmatullah Kakazada is married with 12 children, including one surviving son, Sanaullah. His other son, Sediqullah, was killed during the insurgency. He is reportedly listed on the United Nations sanctions list under the designation TAi.137.
