DUSHANBE, August 14, Asia-Plus - Tajikistan''s Islamic Revival Party has proposed Muhiddin Kabiri as its new leader.  

A meeting of Political Council of Tajikistan’s Islamic Revival Party (IRPT) held in Dushanbe last Saturday [August 12] proposed Muhiddin Kabiri, the IRPT first deputy chairman also representative of the IRPT in the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament), as new chairman of the party. 

 Muhiddin Kabiri replaced in this post Said Abdullo Nuri, who died on August 9, aged 59 after a long illness.  

The source in the IRPT Political Council has told Asia-Plus that another first deputy chairman of the IRPT, Muhammadsharif Himmatzoda, was also nominated to the post of the party leader but he refused to accept nomination fro the office, pleading health condition.  The source has said that Muhiddin Kabiri faces a confirmation vote at the party’s congress in September.  The source refrained from giving further details.

In the meantime, Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reports that Mr. Kabiri said in his interview with it that, if he elected, he does not expect to instigate major changes in the party’s policies.  

ABOUT: Born in the Fayzobod district, some 50 kilometers east of Dushanbe, in 1966, Muhiddin Kabiri (Muhiddin Tilloyevinch Kabirov) received his first secondary special education at Statistics College in Vahdat (formerly Orjjonikidzeobod) before graduating from the Faculty of Oriental Languages (Arabic Department) at Tajik National University.  He also graduated from Sane University (Yemen).  After post-graduate research at Russia’s Diplomatic Academy, Muhiddin Kabiri defended a thesis on receiving scientific degree.  Kabiri is Candidate of Sciences in Political Sciences.  During inter-Tajik negotiations in Moscow Mr. Kabiri was expert on international law.   From October 1997 to 2000, he was aide to the IRPT leader Said Abdullo Nuri.  From 200 to December 2004, he was deputy chairman of the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), and from December 2004 till August 12 2006, he was the first deputy chairman of the IRPT.  In 2005, he was elected to the Majlisi Namoyandagon by party slate.  Muhiddin Kabiri is member of the Majlisi Namoyandagon Committee on Science, Education, Culture and Youth Police.  He is married with five children.