Life

Early life

Samiuddin Safi Zhouand, son of the late Tajuddin Safi, was born in 1312 of the Solar Hijri calendar in Sahib Jamal village, within the Chardi area of central Laghman Province. His father was a government employee and also owned approximately twelve jeribs of agricultural land. Samiuddin had one brother, the late Moinuddin Safi, and one sister, the late Laila Safi. Samiuddin Safi Zhouand married twice. He had five daughters and one son from his first marriage, and three sons from his second marriage. All of children received higher education. One of his daughters, Dr Veda Zhouand Safi, practises as a medical doctor in Australia.

Samiuddin began his formal schooling at the age of twelve. He studied up to Year 11 at Roshan High School in Laghman Province and completed Year 12 in Herat to improve his Dari or Farsi which remained the official language of the government despite majority speaking otherwise. This allowed him to enter university one year earlier than usual. In addition to his formal schooling, he studied Islamic sciences under the guidance of prominent religious scholars in Laghman Province. He also learned English with the assistance of several teachers, particularly the late Hakimuddin Khan. After passing the national university entrance examination, he was admitted to the Faculty of Medicine at Kabul University and studied there for approximately three months. At the encouragement of senior family members and friends, he then transferred to the Faculty of Law.

Although he entered the Faculty of Law later than the other students, he loved learning [except economics] ranked first in his class. Samiuddin Safi Zhouand often spoke with great respect about his teachers, particularly the late Dr Abdul Samad Hamed and the late Mohammad Musa Shafiq. Samiuddin Safi Zhouand graduated from the Faculty of Law at Kabul University as the top-ranked student and was appointed as a lecturer within the university’s academic faculty. Samiuddin Safi Zhouand was later sent to the United States of America for postgraduate studies, where he obtained Master of Public Administration from UCLA.

International students sacrifice so much for their nations wellbeing, leaving family behind was never easy, eventually few of the Zhouand members did join him in their early years in US and now get the chance to reflect on the additional benefit of being a foreigner of two nations.

Upon returning to Afghanistan, he was appointed Deputy Director of the Legislative Affairs Department and later became Director of that institution. During this period, he played an important role in drafting and developing numerous laws, including Afghanistan’s Penal Code and Civil Code, which were introduced for the first time and, following approval by the National Assembly, published in the Official Gazette.

During the premiership of the late Nur Ahmad Etemadi, Samiuddin Zhouand was appointed Deputy Attorney-General. He is regarded as one of the founders of Afghanistan’s modern prosecution service. He was later appointed Deputy Minister of Justice. During the premiership of the late Mohammad Musa Shafiq, he served as Deputy Minister of Justice and Acting Minister of Justice.

Watan

Watan means belonging, identity, pride, honour, memory, family and community. Afghan’s remain a nation of tribes where land and belonging remain as important to every Afghan as Australia’s indigenous population, Afghans.

During his life, he promised our beloved mother, Sultanat, who also shared the same belonging to our land and community. In the end the honoured his promise by ensuring the land our late mothers Sultanat’s memory if now forever enshrined in the ancestral home.

The legacy or preservation was not about ownership. It remains an act of memory, identity and responsibility. It ensures all future Safi, Zhouand, Atmar, Omari and Pirzad generations remain connected to their identity.

All children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will always have a sanctuary waiting for them. A place where they can return, stand upon their ancestral land, and understand where their strength, pride, honour and sense of justice come from. It is the place that reminds them why they are hospitable, why they defend the weak, why they protect the vulnerable, why they give [a must] charity, and why family and community must never be forgotten.

The river

The ancestral home

The boundary wall of the ancestral home stands as a reminder of continuity. The house, the garden and the surrounding land preserve the dignity of a family that carried its history through displacement, loss and time.

Hospitality

A cornerstone of Afghan honour is hospitality. A guest is welcomed as though the home belongs to them.