History of the Great BABA MAZARI
Here’s a detailed biography of Abdul Ali Mazari (Baba Mazari) — from his birth to his tragic death in 1995:
🔹 Early Life and Education
Full Name: Abdul Ali Mazari
Honorific: Baba Mazari (“Father Mazari”)
Date of Birth: 1946 (approximate)
Place of Birth: Charkent, Balkh province, northern Afghanistan
Ethnicity: Hazara
Religion: Shia Islam (Twelver Shi’ism)
Mazari was born into a poor farming family in the Charkent district — a rugged, mountainous region populated mostly by Hazaras. His early life was marked by hardship and ethnic discrimination, which was a common experience for Hazaras in Afghanistan.
➤ Early Education
He began his religious education at local madrassas in Balkh.
Later, he traveled to Qom, Iran, and then Najaf, Iraq — two of the most prestigious centers of Shia Islamic scholarship.
In Najaf, he studied Islamic theology, philosophy, and political thought.
🔹 Return to Afghanistan & Early Political Life
Mazari returned to Afghanistan in the late 1970s, amid political upheaval:
The communist coup (1978).
The Soviet invasion (1979).
He became involved in anti-communist resistance. However, unlike the major Sunni mujahideen groups, his base was among Shia Hazaras in central Afghanistan (Hazarajat).
He co-founded several Shia resistance groups, which later merged into Hezb-e-Wahdat-e Islami Afghanistan (Party of Islamic Unity of Afghanistan) in 1989.
🔹 Founding of Hezb-e-Wahdat (1989)
Hezb-e-Wahdat was formed to unify the fragmented Shia/Hazara factions, which had long been divided by internal rivalries and external manipulation (especially by Iran).
Mazari became its secretary general and later its political leader.
Core Ideals of Hezb-e-Wahdat under Mazari:
Unity of Afghanistan with ethnic equality.
Equal rights for Hazaras and Shias in governance, education, and the military.
Federalism to protect ethnic autonomy.
Resistance against Pashtun-dominated centralism.
Protection of women’s rights (he spoke publicly about this in the 1990s).
🔹 Role in the Afghan Civil War (1992–1995)
After the fall of the Soviet-backed regime in 1992, various mujahideen groups vied for power.
Mazari led Hezb-e-Wahdat into Kabul, seeking political inclusion and rights for Hazaras. But deep ethnic and political divisions turned the capital into a battleground.
Key Conflicts:
Hezb-e-Wahdat fought with:
Jamiat-e-Islami (led by Ahmad Shah Massoud).
Hezb-e-Islami (led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar).
Other factions including Abdul Rasul Sayyaf’s Ittehad-e-Islami (hardline Sunni).
These battles led to horrific civilian casualties, especially in Hazara-majority areas like Kart-e-Sakhi and Dasht-e-Barchi.
Despite brutal warfare, Mazari continued to advocate for peace negotiations and a multi-ethnic national government.
🔹 Ideological Legacy
Mazari believed:
“Afghanistan is the common home of all ethnic groups. No one has the right to rule over others.”
He opposed both sectarianism and Pashtun-dominated autocracy.
He was one of the few leaders in that era who acknowledged the suffering of women, spoke about cultural rights, and emphasized the need for justice and accountability.
🔹 The Taliban’s Rise and the Trap (1995)
By late 1994, the Taliban had emerged as a new force, claiming to end warlordism and bring Islamic governance. They began capturing city after city and eventually threatened Kabul.
March 1995:
The Taliban approached Mazari for negotiations. He agreed, hoping for a peaceful resolution.
He and his delegation boarded a Taliban helicopter, believing they would discuss peace.
Instead, they were taken to Ghazni, disarmed, and imprisoned.
Martyrdom
Mazari and his aides were tortured and mocked for being Hazara and Shia.
He was killed by the Taliban and his body thrown out in Ghazni province.
The body was found and returned to Mazar-i-Sharif, where he was buried with massive public mourning.
🔹 Legacy and Recognition
Hazaras refer to him as “Shaheed-e-Wahdat” (Martyr of Unity).
In 2016, the Afghan government officially recognized him as a national martyr.
His mausoleum in Mazar-i-Sharif is a major site of pilgrimage for Hazaras.
His life is a symbol of resistance, dignity, and the demand for equality in Afghanistan.
The Martyrdom of BABA MAZARI
Abdul Ali Mazari — known as Baba Mazari — was a prominent Hazara political leader and the head of Hezb-e-Wahdat during the Afghan civil war in the early 1990s. His capture happened in a very tense and violent period.
Here’s a summary of how he was captured:
In March 1995, during fierce battles in Kabul between Hezb-e-Wahdat (Mazari’s party) and the forces of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and later Ahmad Shah Massoud’s government-aligned forces, the Taliban were rising in power in southern Afghanistan.
At that time, the Taliban proposed to negotiate with Baba Mazari. Some sources say Mazari agreed to meet Taliban representatives, hoping to find a political settlement. However, the “negotiations” were actually a trap. When Mazari and a small group of his companions boarded a Taliban helicopter — supposedly to go for peace talks — they were disarmed, captured, and taken prisoner by the Taliban.
Shortly after his capture, Baba Mazari was tortured and then killed by the Taliban. His body was thrown out in Ghazni province. His death was widely seen among Hazaras as a brutal betrayal, and it became a major rallying point for the Hazara community.
In short:
Baba Mazari was captured after being lured into a fake negotiation with the Taliban, disarmed, imprisoned, tortured, and killed in March 1995.
Would you like a deeper timeline of the events that led to his capture and death? (It’s actually very dramatic and important to Afghan history.)
Background Before Capture
Early 1990s: After the fall of the communist Najibullah government (1992), different Afghan factions fought for control of Kabul.
Hezb-e-Wahdat, led by Baba Mazari, mainly representing Hazaras, was fighting against other factions like Massoud’s Jamiat-e-Islami and Hekmatyar’s Hezb-e-Islami.
The city was chaotic: artillery battles, sieges, and massacres happened frequently.
Late 1994 – Rise of the Taliban
The Taliban movement rapidly emerged from Kandahar, promising to end warlordism and bring “order.”
They gained support in southern Afghanistan and captured city after city with surprising speed.
March 1995 — The Trap
Kabul was still divided among warring factions.
The Taliban approached Baba Mazari’s group, offering negotiations. They promised safe passage and political talks.
Baba Mazari, wanting peace and perhaps underestimating the Taliban’s intentions, agreed to meet them.
He and about seven companions boarded a Taliban-controlled helicopter outside Kabul.
Capture and Humiliation
Once onboard, the Taliban disarmed Baba Mazari and his companions.
Instead of taking them to negotiations, they transported them to Ghazni (southwest of Kabul) — Taliban-controlled territory.
Reports from survivors say Mazari was beaten, insulted (particularly over his ethnicity and Shia faith), and tortured during captivity.
Murder
After being abused for some time, Baba Mazari was executed by Taliban fighters.
His body was thrown in Ghazni province, badly mutilated.
Locals eventually found the body and informed his supporters.
Aftermath
His death caused outrage among Hazaras and Shia communities.
In Hazarajat and beyond, Baba Mazari became a martyr and a symbol of resistance against Taliban oppression.
Annual Mazari Commemoration Ceremonies still take place, especially among Hazara communities worldwide.
Key Points to Remember
Baba Mazari wanted peace, which led him to trust the Taliban’s proposal.
The Taliban betrayed that trust by capturing and murdering him.
His death deepened ethnic and sectarian divisions in Afghanistan.
He is remembered as a defender of Hazara rights and Afghan unity.