The Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament) on Monday approved Masoom Stanikzai as the chief of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) and Gen. Abdullah Khan Habibi as the Minister of Defense.

Meanwhile, the MPs approved Mohammad Zaman Sangari as a member of the High Council of the Supreme Court.

Stanikzai received 161 votes, Habibi got 167 votes and Sangari received 137 votes in his favor out of a total of 224 votes.

Stanikzai and Habibi were introduced to the MPs by the second Vice President Mohammad Sarwar Danish nearly two weeks ago.

During introduction of the nominees, Danish said security is a top priority for the Afghan government and that considering the current situation, Afghanistan needs unity more than ever in order to succeed in its efforts for achieving a lasting peace and stability in the country.

Stanikzai, 58, has served in senior positions in government. Recently, he was appointed as acting defense minister and later as acting NDS chief.

He served as Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology from 2002 to 2004 and later as a security advisor for former president Hamid Karzai.

He also worked as the CEO of the joint secretariat of Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Program in 2009.

In 2011, he was seriously wounded in a suicide attack that targeted the former High Peace Council (HPC) chairman, Burhanuddin Rabbani.

Stanekzai has two bachelor degrees from Cambridge and Bristol universities in the United Kingdom.

He served as the secretary general of the HPC, besides serving in other government positions.

Abdullah Khan Habibi has worked as the chief of army staff in the Defense Ministry before he was appointed as acting minister of defense.

Habibi, 64, has a master degree in military affairs. He served as commander of 201 Selab Army Corps and later as the first deputy head of education and training department of the Defense Ministry.

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