Sarwar Danish

Muhammad Sarwar Danish (Dari: سرور دانش; born 1961) is an Afghan academic and politician in exile who was the second vice president of Afghanistan, from 2014 to 2021. He was previously the acting minister of justice from 2004 to 2010 and acting minister of higher education from 2010 to 2014. When Daykundi province was carved out of Urozgan province in 2004, Danish became its first governor.^[2]

Muhammad Sarwar Danish
سرور دانش
Danish in 2014
Second Vice President of Afghanistan
In office 29 September 2014 – 15 August 2021
President	Ashraf Ghani
Preceded by	Karim Khalili
Succeeded by	Mullah Yaqoob (as Second Deputy Leader)
Higher Education Minister of Afghanistan
In office 1 January 2010 – 29 September 2014
President	Hamid Karzai
Preceded by	Mohammad Azam Dadfar
Succeeded by	Abdollah Obeid
Justice Minister of Afghanistan
In office 23 December 2004 – 1 January 2010
President	Hamid Karzai
Preceded by	Abbas Karimi
Succeeded by	Habibullah Ghaleb
1st Governor of Daykundi
In office 28 March 2004 – 22 December 2004
Succeeded by	Abdul Hai Neamati
Personal details
Born	Muhammad Sarwar 1961 (age 63–64) Ishtarlay District, Afghanistan
Political party	Hezbe Wahdat (to 2022) Afghanistan Justice and Freedom Party (from 2022)[1]
Residence(s)	Auckland, New Zealand

Early years and education

Danish, the son of Muhammad Ali, was born in 1961 in the Ishtarlay District of Daykundi province in central Afghanistan. He belongs to the Hazara ethnic group. As a Shia Muslim, he completed his higher education in the holy Iranian city of Qom,^[2] where he earned degrees in law, journalism and Islamic studies, receiving a master's degree in Fiqh. From 1982 until 2001, he wrote various publications, including 15 books and 700 academic essays. Along with Dari and Pashto, he also became fluent in the Arabic language.

Karzai administration

Further information: Presidency of Hamid Karzai

After the Taliban regime was ousted and the Karzai administration was formed, Danish was involved in the 2002 loya jirga. He was a member of the Constitutional Drafting Commission through a decree by President Hamid Karzai and as a participant in the Constitutional Loya Jirga.^[2] Following Karzai's election as president in 2004, Danish became Justice Minister and renounced his membership to Hezbe Wahdat as per Constitutional law.^[3]

Ghani administration

Under President Ashraf Ghani, Danish served as the second vice president in both terms, first with vice president Abdul Rashid Dostum^[4] and then Amrullah Saleh following the 2019 elections.^[5] In 2021 after Kabul fell to the Taliban, Danish and associates escaped the country and eventually stayed in Turkey. In December 2021 he was resettled in New Zealand.^[6]