Aqil Zahirpour is an independent political analyst. He holds a BA Honours degree in Political Science, a diploma in United Nations and International Understanding, a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, and an accredited certificate on Good Governance in Afghanistan. He has over five years of experience in working in fields related to media, education, and peacebuilding. His research interests include Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, India, and their contemporary political issues. He is completing his MPP degree programme at the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy in Germany.

Aqil is the author of The State of Public Education in Afghanistan (2012), which outlines the challenges and seeks the way forward for the education sector in Afghanistan.