VZCZCXRO0713
RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHNEH RUEHPW RUEHSK RUEHVK
RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0130/01 0331231
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 021231Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1442
INFO RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE VIENNA AU
RUCNCLS/SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC 0302
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEABND/DEA HQ WASHINGTON DC
RUEAWJA/DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC//ICITAP
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000130 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN (HUSHEK) 
INR/B 
INL/AAE (BUHLER) 
JUSTICE FOR (DUCOT AND NEWCOMBE) 
DEFENSE FOR OSD/P 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV SNAR KCRM KJUS PGOV TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN: CORRIDOR REP OF NEW MVD MINISTER LOOKS GOOD 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On January 29, President Rahmon appointed 
Abdurahim Abdulahadovich Qahhorov from Khudjand as the new Minister 
of Internal Affairs replacing Mamadnazar Solehov.  The appointment 
of Qahhorov, previously the police commander for Khujand, could be a 
merit based promotion because he made his way through the ranks of 
the ministry and is considered as a competent professional 
policeman.  He is, notably, the first head of a "power" ministry 
(i.e. security related) to come from northern Tajikistan.  End 
summary. 
 
NEWS LEAKS AT NIGHT 
 
¶2. (SBU) Late in the night on January 28, word filtered out that 
President Rahmon had appointed Abdurahim Abdulahadovich Qahhorov as 
the new Minister of Internal Affairs.  He replaced Mamadnazar 
Solehov who had been in the job since December 1, 2006.  Neither the 
Presidential Administration nor the press offered any reasons for 
the change in leadership although the end of January is 
traditionally the time for change-over in the major ministries in 
Tajikistan. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Independent political analyst, and Islamic Renaissance 
Party of Tajikistan member Abdullo Hakim Rahnamo, speaking to the 
press said that the new minister was a step in binding Tajikistan 
together.  He described Qahhorov as a skilled and competent 
professional and said the appointment was a real step towards 
providing participation of all regions in the rule of the country. 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) Press reports of the appointment are favorable.  The 
positive reviews of presidential actions are not surprising in the 
tightly controlled media environment of Tajikistan.  Usually the 
media refer to the changes in the government as "another shuffling" 
because the same people in the government rotate with no new faces 
being introduced. 
 
QAHHOROV'S BACKGROUND 
 
¶5. (U) From 2006 until his recent appointment, Qahhorov was a 
regional commander in Khudjand, reportedly sent there at the 
direction of then new Minister Mamadnazar Solehov.  Prior to this, 
Qahhorov was First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs to then 
Minister Khumdin Sharipov.  From 1993 Qahhorov headed the Ministry's 
Police School and was instrumental in upgrading it from Institute to 
Academy status.  He is the son of Abdulahad Qahhorov - former 
Prime-Minister of the Soviet Republic of Tajikistan from 1961 
¶1973. 
 
¶6. (U) Biographical Details 
 
Full Name: Abdurahim Abdulahadovich Qahhorov 
Date of birth: November 10, 1951 
Place of Birth: Konibodom (near Khujand), Sugd Oblast 
Qahhorov is married. 
 
Education: 
Secondary School #9 in Dushanbe 
Legal Department of Tajik State University 1974 
Academy of Ministry of Internal Affairs 1981 
 
Work Experience 
 
1974-1977 Q Criminal Investigations officer, Senior Criminal 
Investigations Officer and then Head of Criminal Investigations 
Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; of the Tajikistan 
SSSR, USSR 
 
November 8, 1977 Q Sr. Inspector of the Department of Crime 
prophylactics, Criminal Investigations Department of the Republic of 
Tajikistan 
 
1979Q1981 - Academy of Ministry of Interior of Soviet Union, 
Moscow; 
 
1981Q1985 - Upon graduation was appointed the Head of the Department 
of Internal Affairs of Octyabrskiy district of Dushanbe, Tajikistan 
SSR, (now the Somoni district of Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan); 
QSSR, (now the Somoni district of Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan); 
 
 
DUSHANBE 00000130  002 OF 002 
 
 
1985-1987 Q Deputy Head of the Department of Internal Affairs of the 
city of Dushanbe, Tajikistan SSR; 
 
 
1987-1992 Q Deputy Minister of Interior; Ministry of Internal 
Affairs, Tajikistan SSR and after independence Republic of 
Tajikistan; 
 
1992-1993 Q First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Republic of 
Tajikistan; 
 
1993-2000 - Head of the High Police School, Republic of Tajikistan; 
 
2000-2006 Q First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Republic of 
Tajikistan 
 
2006-2009 Q Head of the Department of Internal Affairs for Sugd 
Oblast; 
 
January 29, 2009 Q Minister of Interior of Tajikistan 
 
Qahhorov was promoted to Lieutenant-General in 2001. 
 
¶7. (U) Notes: In 1999 he became a Candidate of Legal Science with 
the publication of a research paper "Law Enforcement System of 
Tajikistan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1924-1929."  The 
paper covered the period when Tajikistan was part of Uzbekistan but 
preparations were underway to create a separate Soviet Socialist 
Republic. 
 
During the civil war period in Tajikistan he received several awards 
for meritorious service. 
 
 
He has a reputation as a very serious, honest, principled, well 
educated, and professional law enforcement officer. 
 
¶8. (SBU) COMMENT: By all appearances Qahhorov has the experience and 
education to be the professional policeman some assess him to be. 
Given his extensive tenure with the MVD Academy, we are hopeful that 
INL's Academy training and infrastructure projects will receive 
solid support.  End comment. 
 
QUAST