II.

Early Years

Karzai was born in Kandahār into the prestigious Popolzai (Popalzai) clan of the Durrani tribe of ethnic Pashtuns. From 1747 until the Afghan monarchy was overthrown in 1973, all Afghan kings came from the Durrani. The Karzai family had long played a leading role in Afghan politics. Karzai’s father, Abdul Ahad Karzai, held influence as chief of the Popolzai. He also served in several high-level government posts in Kābul, the Afghan capital, under monarch Muhammad Zahir Shah, who reigned from 1933 to 1973. The younger Karzai spent most of his childhood in Kandahār and attended Habibia High School in Kābul. He then pursued studies in political science at Himāchal Pradesh University in Simla, India. As a student Karzai became fluent in Urdu, English, French, and Hindi; he also speaks Pashto (Pushto) and Dari, the two official languages of Afghanistan.