Sayed Mansur Naderi

Sayed Mansur Naderi (; born January 12, 1936) is an Afghan political and religious leader who holds the traditional title of Sayed of Kayan. He is not the leader of Afghanistan's Ismaili community, which is centered in Baghlan Province. Naderi served as Second Vice President of Afghanistan under President Burhanuddin Rabbani from 1992 to 1996, and was elected to the Wolesi Jirga (lower house of the Afghan Parliament) in 2005. He founded the National Solidarity Party of Afghanistan (Paiwand Milli).

Early life and religious position Sayed Mansur Naderi was born on January 12, 1936, in Afghanistan. He is the son of Sayed Nader Shah Kayani, a prominent Ismaili religious leader and poet who held the hereditary title of Sayed of Kayan.

Naderi inherited the traditional position of Sayed of Kayan, serving as the local representative and leader of Afghanistan's Kayani Ismaili community not followers of Aga Khan which follows Ismaili Shia Islam under the spiritual leadership of the Aga Khan. In the 1960s, he was imprisoned along with several family members but was later released.

Soviet era Following the Saur Revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Naderi received government funding and arms to form a local militia of Ismaili supporters. He became a general and governor of Baghlan Province.

The militia's primary role was protecting supply routes through Baghlan Province, particularly the Salang Tunnel, which connected northern Afghanistan to Kabul. Naderi maintained control over the strategically important Pul-i-Khumri area.

Naderi was involved in founding the National Islamic Movement, a political organization advocating for minority rights and federal governance in Afghanistan.

Mujahideen government From 1992 to 1996, Naderi served as Second Vice President of Afghanistan under President Burhanuddin Rabbani. During this period, he maintained influence in several northern provinces including Baghlan, Badakhshan, Samangan, Kunduz, and Balkh. Kayan served as a center for peace negotiations between various Mujahideen factions.

Taliban period In August 1998, Taliban forces captured northern Afghanistan including Kayan. Naderi and his son Sayed Jafar Naderi were defeated after resisting Taliban advances. Naderi fled to Uzbekistan, where he remained until the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

Post-Taliban era Naderi returned to Afghanistan in 2002 following the fall of the Taliban. He was elected to the Wolesi Jirga in 2005 representing Baghlan Province.

Naderi founded the National Solidarity Party of Afghanistan (Paiwand Milli), which advocated for Ismaili representation and minority rights in Afghan politics. The party supported Hamid Karzai in the 2009 presidential election, Ashraf Ghani in 2014, and Abdullah Abdullah in 2019.

Cultural contributions Naderi served as patron for the creation of the world's largest handwritten Quran in Afghanistan. The manuscript, completed in 2012 after five years of work by scholars, is housed in the Hakim Naser Khusraw Balkhi Cultural Center in Kabul.

In the 1990s, Naderi established a drug addiction treatment center in Kayan Valley to provide medical services to those addicted to drugs and opium, primarily serving patients from Badakhshan Province.

Family Naderi's children have held prominent positions in Afghan politics:

Sayed Jafar Naderi, his eldest son, served as Governor of Baghlan Province (1989–1992) and later as security advisor to First Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum (2014).

Sadat Mansoor Naderi served as Minister of Urban Development and Housing (2015–2018) and State Minister for Peace (2020–2021) under President Ashraf Ghani.

Farkhunda Zahra Naderi served as a member of the Afghan Parliament (2010–2015) and later as senior advisor to President Ashraf Ghani.

His nephew, Sayed Dawood Naderi, was elected to parliament from Kunduz Province.

His brother, Rawnaq Naderi, was a poet who was executed in 1979 during the rule of Hafizullah Amin.