List of heads of state of Afghanistan

The following is a list of heads of state of Afghanistan since the establishment of the first Afghan state, the Hotak Empire, in 1709.

The Hotak Empire was formed after a successful uprising led by Mirwais Hotak and other Afghan tribal chiefs from Kandahar against Mughal and Persian rule.

After a long series of wars, the Hotak Empire was eventually replaced by the Durrani Afghan Empire that was founded by Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1747.

After the collapse of the Durrani Empire in 1823, the Barakzai dynasty founded the Emirate of Afghanistan (transformed into the Kingdom of Afghanistan in 1926) and ruled Afghanistan until 1973, when the last King Mohammed Zahir Shah was deposed in a coup d'état, led by his first cousin Mohammed Daoud Khan. Daoud then established the Republic of Afghanistan, which lasted until the Saur Revolution in 1978.

Since 1978, Afghanistan is in a state of continuous internal warfare and foreign interventions.

The former president Hamid Karzai became the first ever democratically elected head of state of Afghanistan on 7 December 2004. The current president is Ashraf Ghani, since 29 September 2014.

List of heads of state

(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)

Royal heads of state

Name		Birth–Death	Reign start	Reign end	Dynasty
Hotak Empire (1709–1738)
Mirwais Hotak		1673–1715	1709	1715	Hotak
			Emir
Abdul Aziz Hotak		Died 1717	1715	1717	Hotak
			Emir; Brother of Mirwais Hotak
Mahmud Hotak		1697–1725	1717	22 April 1725	Hotak
			Emir; Son of Mirwais Hotak
Ashraf Hotak		Died 1730	22 April 1725	1730	Hotak
			Emir; Nephew of Mirwais Hotak
Hussain Hotak		Died 1738	22 April 1725	24 March 1738	Hotak
			Emir; Nephew of Mirwais Hotak
Durrani Empire (1747–1823)
Ahmad Shah Durrani		1722–1772	October 1747	16 October 1772	Durrani
			Emir
Timur Shah Durrani		1748–1793	16 October 1772	18 May 1793	Durrani
			Emir; Son of Ahmad Shah Durrani
Zaman Shah Durrani		1770–1844	18 May 1793	25 July 1801	Durrani
			Emir; Son of Timur Shah Durrani; Deposed
Mahmud Shah Durrani		1769–1829	25 July 1801	13 July 1803	Durrani
			Emir; Son of Timur Shah Durrani; Deposed
Shuja Shah Durrani		1785–1842	13 July 1803	3 May 1809	Durrani
			Emir; Son of Timur Shah Durrani; First Reign; Deposed
Mahmud Shah Durrani (1769–1829)			3 May 1809	1818	Durrani
			Emir; Son of Timur Shah Durrani; Deposed
Ali Shah Durrani			1818	1819	Durrani
			Emir; Son of Timur Shah Durrani; Deposed
Ayub Shah Durrani		Died 1837	1819	1823	Durrani
			Emir; Son of Timur Shah Durrani; Deposed
Emirate of Afghanistan (1823–1926)
Dost Mohammad Khan		1793–1863	1823	2 August 1839	Barakzai
			Emir; Son of Sardar Payendah Khan; First Reign; Exiled
Shuja Shah Durrani		1785–1842	7 August 1839	5 April 1842	Durrani
			Emir; Son of Timur Shah Durrani; Second Reign; Assassinated
Wazir Akbar Khan		1816–1845	5 April 1842	1845	Barakzai
			Emir; Son of Dost Mohammad Khan
Dost Mohammad Khan		1793–1863	1845	9 June 1863	Barakzai
			Emir; Son of Sardar Payendah Khan; Second Reign
Sher Ali Khan		1825–1879	9 June 1863	1865	Barakzai
			Emir; Son of Dost Mohammad Khan; First Reign; Deposed
Mohammad Afzal Khan		1811–1867	1865	7 October 1867	Barakzai
			Emir; Son of Dost Mohammad Khan
Mohammad Azam Khan		Died 1868	7 October 1867	21 February 1868	Barakzai
			Emir; Son of Dost Mohammad Khan
Sher Ali Khan		1825–1879	7 October 1868	21 February 1879	Barakzai
			Emir; Son of Dost Mohammad Khan; Second Reign
Ayub Khan		1857–1914	12 October 1879	31 May 1880	Barakzai
			Emir; Son of Sher Ali Khan; Deposed
Abdur Rahman Khan		1840/1844–1901	31 May 1880	1 October 1901	Barakzai
			Emir; Son of Mohammad Afzal Khan
Habibullah Khan		1872–1919	1 October 1901	20 February 1919	Barakzai
			Emir; Son of Abdur Rahman Khan; Assassinated
Nasrullah Khan		1874–1920	20 February 1919	28 February 1919	Barakzai
			Emir; Son of Abdur Rahman Khan; Deposed
Amanullah Khan		1892–1960	28 February 1919	9 June 1926	Barakzai
			Emir; Son of Habibullah Khan
Kingdom of Afghanistan (1926–1973)
Amanullah Khan		1892–1960	9 June 1926	14 January 1929	Barakzai
			King; Son of Habibullah Khan; Deposed
Inayatullah Khan		1888–1946	14 January 1929	17 January 1929	Barakzai
			King; Son of Habibullah Khan; Deposed
Habibullāh Kalakāni		1891–1929	17 January 1929	16 October 1929	Non-Dynastic
			King; Deposed
Mohammed Nadir Shah		1883–1933	16 October 1929	8 November 1933	Barakzai
			King; Grandnephew of Dost Mohammed Khan; Assassinated
Mohammed Zahir Shah		1914–2007	8 November 1933	17 July 1973	Barakzai
			King; Son of Mohammed Nadir Shah; Deposed

Non-Royal heads of state

Name			Birth–Death	Took office	Left office	Political Affiliation
Republic of Afghanistan (1973–1978)
	Mohammed Daoud Khan		1909–1978	17 July 1973	28 April 1978	Independent (1973–1976) National Revolutionary Party (1976–1978)
				President; Member of the Barakzai dynasty (first cousin of Mohammed Zahir Shah); Assassinated
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (1978–1987)
	Abdul Qadir		1944–2014	28 April 1978	30 April 1978	People's Democratic Party (Khalq faction)
				Chairman of the Presidium of the Military Revolutionary Council
	Nur Muhammad Taraki		1917–1979	30 April 1978	14 September 1979	People's Democratic Party (Khalq faction)
				Chairman of the Presidium of the Revolutionary Council; Assassinated
	Hafizullah Amin	100px	1929–1979	14 September 1979	27 December 1979	People's Democratic Party (Khalq faction)
				Chairman of the Presidium of the Revolutionary Council; Assassinated
	Babrak Karmal		1929–1996	27 December 1979	24 November 1986	People's Democratic Party (Parcham faction)
				Chairman of the Presidium of the Revolutionary Council; Dismissed
	Haji Mohammad Chamkani		1947–2012	24 November 1986	30 September 1987	Independent
				Chairman of the Presidium of the Revolutionary Council
	Mohammad Najibullah		1947–1996	30 September 1987	30 November 1987	People's Democratic Party (Parcham faction)
				Chairman of the Presidium of the Revolutionary Council
Republic of Afghanistan (1987–1992)
	Mohammad Najibullah		1947–1996	30 November 1987	16 April 1992	People's Democratic Party (Parcham faction) (1987–1990) Democratic Watan Party (1990–1992)
				President; Resigned
	Abdul Rahim Hatif		1926–2013	16 April 1992	28 April 1992	Democratic Watan Party
				Acting President; Deposed
Islamic State of Afghanistan (1992–1996)
	Sibghatullah Mojaddedi	100px	1926–	28 April 1992	28 June 1992	National Liberation Front
				President; Resigned
	Burhanuddin Rabbani		1940–2011	28 June 1992	27 September 1996	Jamiat-e Islami
				President; Deposed
Northern Alliance of Afghanistan (1996–2001)
	Burhanuddin Rabbani		1940–2011	27 September 1996	13 November 2001	Jamiat-e Islami
				President; The Northern Alliance remained the internationally recognized government, despite only controlling about 10% of Afghan territory
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001)
	Mohammed Omar		1950/1962–2013	27 September 1996	13 November 2001	Taliban
				Emir, Head of the Supreme Council and Commander of the Faithful; The Islamic Emirate never attained widespread international recognition, despite controlling about 90% of Afghan territory; Deposed
Interim/Transitional Administration (2001–2004)
	Burhanuddin Rabbani		1940–2011	13 November 2001	22 December 2001	Jamiat-e Islami
				Acting President
	Hamid Karzai		1957–	22 December 2001	7 December 2004	Independent
				President of the Interim Administration until 29 June 2002; President of the Transitional Administration from 29 June 2002
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2004–present)
	Hamid Karzai		1957–	7 December 2004	29 September 2014	Independent
				President; First democratically elected head of state
	Ashraf Ghani		1949–	29 September 2014	Incumbent	Independent
				President; First peaceful transfer of power

Standards of heads of state

• 

  Standard of the King of Afghanistan, 1931–1973.

• 

  Standard of the President of Afghanistan, 2004–present.

See also

• President of Afghanistan
• Prime Minister of Afghanistan
• Chief Executive Officer (Afghanistan)
• Name of Afghanistan
• History of Afghanistan
• List of Pashtun empires and dynasties

External links

• Presidency of Afghanistan