Demography
Ethnolinguistic groups of Afghanistan
The city of Kunduz has a population of about 304,600. Ethnic Pashtun people make up the largest percent followed by Tajiks, Uzbeks, Hazaras, Arabs and a few others.
The Kunduz "Arabs" are Persian-speaking and have been so since time immemorial. However, they claim an Arab identity. There are other such Persian-speaking "Arabs" to the north and west, between Kholm, Mazar-e Sharif and Shibarghan. Their self-identification as Arabs is largely based on their tribal identity and may in fact point to the 7th and 8th centuries migration to this and other Central Asian locales of many Arab tribes from Arabia in the wake of the Islamic conquests of the region.
Administration
The city of Kunduz is divided into 6 districts: Khan Abad, Ali Abad, Char Dara, Dashti Archi, Qala -e-Zal and Imam Sahib. Kunduz has 9 representatives in the lower house and 2 in the upper house and has a provincial council. The most influential leader of Kunduz was Arif Khan, who was a governor of Kunduz Province and was shot dead in the city of Peshawar, Pakistan in the year 2000. Soon after the incident his brother Haji Omar Khan took his responsibility and was appointed as the Governor of Kunduz (2000-2001). In the Karzai administration, Haji Omar Khan was elected to be a representative of Kunduz Province in the Lower House (Wolasi Jirga) and at a time serve as an Advisor Minister to the President Hamid Karzai.
The famous figure from the Kunduz area was Haji Nazikmir Khan. He was the leader and the Grand Malik of the Zakheil tribe. Haji Nazkmir was the wealthiest person in the province. He owned thousands of acres of farmland, apartment buildings, commercial buildings, Russian car agency, and many hotels. He and his family were also known for having a close relationship with the royal family of Afghanistan.
Notable people
- Javed Ahmadi (1992-), player in the current Afghanistan national cricket team
- Suleyman Al-Qunduzi (1297-1374), Islamic scholar and theologian
- Nazik Mir Sarfraz, Afghan Parliament member killed in a suicide bomb in Baghlan province
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