Akram Yari

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Akram Yari is considered the founder of the Revolutionary Communist movement[1] of Afghanistan. He was the leader and founder of the Progressive Youth Organization (PYO), a Maoist organization which was formed on October 6, 1965. PYO published a magazine by the name of Shola e Jawid (Eternal Flame). Akram Yari opposed the government of Zahir Shah, the Islamic fundamentalists, and the pro-Soviet People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA). PYO adhered to Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tse-tung Thought, and called for the overthrowing the old order by revolutionary armed struggle.

Under Akram Yari's leadershiop, PYO had strong support among the masses of workers and students in the cities of Afghanistan. PYO could mobilize thousands of people in its demonstration and political actions. PYO led new-deomocratic movement, which had huge support among workers, students, and other oppressed segments of society, clearly was the biggest mass movement in Afghanistan. Among the people of Afghanistan, the movement that PYO led is famous by the name of Shola-e-Jawid and its members were commonly known as the Sholais (Flamists), after the name of their journal.

Akram Yari was a teacher and propagator of Marxism and introduced Marxism to a large number of intellectuals and political activists in Afghanistan, among them Dr. Faiz Ahmad, founder of Afghanistan Liberation Organization (ALO).

In 1978 the pro-Soviet PDPA came into power through a military coup. The PDPA government began a crack-down on PYO cadres. Akram Yari was arrested and later killed by the PDPA government. The exact conditions surrounding his death is not known.

The Communist (Maoist) Party of Afghanistan currently brings out a publication called Shola-e-jawid and proclaims to be the continuation of the process started by the formation of PYO under Akram Yari's leadership.