Babrak Karmal

Babrak Karmal was a prominent Afghan politician and revolutionary who served as the third President of Afghanistan from 1979 until 1986. A founding member of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA), his ascent to power was directly facilitated by the Soviet Union during the Soviet–Afghan War. His rule was marked by intense internal conflict, widespread rebellion, and heavy dependence on Moscow for political and military survival, ultimately leading to his replacement and exile.

Early life and education

Babrak Karmal was born on 6 January 1929 in the village of Kamari, near Kabul, in the Kingdom of Afghanistan. His father, a Pakistani-born Pashtun army general, served as a governor under King Mohammed Zahir Shah. Karmal attended Nezhat High School in Kabul before enrolling at Kabul University's Faculty of Law and Political Science in the late 1940s. At university, he became deeply involved in radical student politics, joining the Wish Zalmayan (Awakened Youth) movement and was imprisoned for several years for his activism. His time in Pul-e-Charkhi prison further radicalized him and connected him with other future communist leaders.

Political career and rise to power

After his release, Karmal helped found the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan in 1965, becoming one of its key leaders alongside Nur Muhammad Taraki. The PDPA quickly split into two main factions: the more radical Khalq (Masses) faction led by Taraki and Hafizullah Amin, and the more moderate, intellectually oriented Parcham (Banner) faction led by Karmal. He was elected to the National Assembly in 1965 and 1969, using his position to criticize the monarchy. Following the Saur Revolution in April 1978, which brought the PDPA to power, Karmal initially served as Vice Chairman of the Revolutionary Council and Deputy Prime Minister under President Taraki. However, the intense rivalry between the Khalq and Parcham factions led to his removal and appointment as ambassador to Czechoslovakia, effectively a form of exile.

Leadership of Afghanistan

Karmal's rule began on 27 December 1979, when Soviet special forces stormed the Tajbeg Palace, assassinated President Hafizullah Amin, and installed Karmal as the new head of state. His return from exile in the Soviet Union aboard a Soviet military aircraft symbolized his complete dependence on Moscow. As General Secretary of the PDPA, Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, and President, he attempted to moderate the harsh policies of his predecessors, declaring an amnesty and promising respect for Islam. However, his government was widely viewed as a puppet regime of the occupying Soviet Army. The Mujahideen insurgency, supported by the United States, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and China, intensified dramatically, making large parts of the country ungovernable. Despite massive Soviet military aid and the presence of the 40th Army, his administration failed to achieve legitimacy or stability.

Downfall and exile

By the mid-1980s, the Soviet–Afghan War had become a costly stalemate for the USSR. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, seeking a political solution, deemed Karmal an obstacle to potential national reconciliation. Under intense pressure from Moscow, Karmal was gradually stripped of power. He resigned from the post of PDPA General Secretary in May 1986, replaced by the head of the KHAD intelligence service, Mohammad Najibullah. In November 1986, he was also removed as Chairman of the Revolutionary Council. Effectively deposed, Karmal went into exile in the Soviet Union, where he lived in a state-sponsored dacha outside Moscow.

Death and legacy

Babrak Karmal lived in obscurity in Moscow until his death from liver cancer on 3 December 1996, just weeks before the Taliban captured Kabul. His body was returned to Afghanistan and buried in Hesa Awal Behsood District of Maidan Wardak Province under heavy security. Karmal's legacy is intrinsically tied to the Soviet invasion and the devastating civil war. Historians view his tenure as a period where Afghan sovereignty was severely compromised, and his installation catalyzed a decade of brutal conflict that fueled the rise of fundamentalist forces and contributed to the eventual collapse of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.

Category:Presidents of Afghanistan Category:People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan politicians Category:Afghan communists