Gulbuddin Hekmatyar

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar founded the Hezb-e Islami political party, an Islamist faction that became one of the most powerful mujahideen groups during the Soviet-Afghan War. The party received significant support from Pakistan's ISI and foreign Islamist donors.

Hekmatyar served as Prime Minister of Afghanistan from 1993 to 1994 under President Burhanuddin Rabbani. His tenure was marked by intense factional fighting, including rocket attacks on Kabul that caused thousands of civilian casualties, contributing to the devastation of the city.

After the Taliban captured Kabul in 1996, Hekmatyar initially fled to Iran. He later aligned with the Taliban regime, though his influence waned. He remained in Afghanistan until the US-led invasion in 2001, after which he fled to Pakistan.

Hekmatyar signed a peace agreement with the Afghan government of President Ashraf Ghani in 2016. The deal allowed him to return to Afghanistan from exile, with his party recognized as a political entity and his fighters integrated into state security forces.