Born: 1959

Province: Born: 1960, Kabul province (family from Kandahar and Panjshir)

Ethnicity: Pashtun

Abdullah studied in Ghazi Mohammad Ayub Khan School and then graduated from the Naderia High School in Kabul 1976.

In 1977, he was accepted to Kabul University’s School of Medicine, where he completed his training in ophthalmology in 1983. He subsequently served as a specialist at the Noor Eye Hospital in Kabul.

In 1984, he went to Pakistan to take care of refugee families at the Sayed Jamal-ud-Din Hospital. The following year, he joined the Afghan freedom fighters and served as caretaker in charge of health affairs for the Panjsher valley resistance front. It was there that Abdullah became an advisor to Ahmad Shah Massoud.

From 1992 to 1996, he served as a spokesperson for Afghanistan's Defense Ministry and subsequently as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Abdullah was in charge of foreign affairs for the government-in-exile of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, led by President Burhanuddin Rabbani from 1999 until the collapse of the Taliban regime.

After the Taliban’s ouster from power, Abdullah continued as foreign minister of the transitional government. Approved by the Grand Assembly (Loya Jirga), and within the first elected government, he continued as foreign minister until 2006.

Abdullah is married and has three daughters and a son.

He ran in two previous elections; the first attempt was 2009, and the second time was in 2014,  when he secured 50 percent of votes and participated in a second round of voting against Ashraf Ghani. Disagreement over the results led to the creation of the National Unity Government, in which Ghani became president and Abdullah became “Chief Executive.”

Abdullah speaks Farsi, Pashto and English, and is proficient in Arabic and French, as well.

Babar Farahmand is his running mate for first vice president, and Asadullah Saadati is his running mate for second vice president.