Shams Ul Huda Shams

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'Shams Ul Huda Shams', former president of Afghan Social Democratic Party (Well Know as Afghan Mellat), died on October 9, 2005, in his hometown Noorgal in Kunar Province of Afghanistan. His death is not only a big loss to his party but also an immense tragedy for all the nationalist and democratic forces of Afghanistan. Shams had recently returned to his homeland after twenty seven years in exile and had opened and office for his party in Jalalabad.

In 1984, Afghan Mellat founding president, Ghulam Mohammad Farhad died and in early 1987 the party congress elected Shams as its new president in recognition of his great services to the party. However, some members of the party, under a pre-planned conspiracy, refused to accept the electoral results and hence Afghan Mellat was split into three factions each one led by Shams Ul Huda Shams, Qudratullah Hadad and Mohammad Amin Wakman respectively. It is Wakman’s faction that is presently led by Afghan Finance Minister Anwar Ul Haq Ahady.

It was Shams who established a base for his party in Peshawar during the early days of communist take-over in the country. He courageously led his party in the face of strong opposition from religious extremist parties on one hand and incumbent communist regime on the other. Shams had an uncompromising attitude towards communism and that is why he never agreed to strike a deal with the puppet regime in Kabul in spite of repeated attempts by the latter, up to the point of offering a cabinet position. Shams had one guiding principle in his political life; never to compromise on party ideals.

Shams was in favor of the establishment of a modern democratic government in the country which could retain its National Islamic character. After communist Najib’s overthrow and Mujahideen taking power, shams continued his opposition with the incumbent regime of religious parties, which he argued, was not representing the majority of Afghan nation. Shams was especially against the Taliban regime backed by Pakistan, and an anti-Pashtun alliance that was mainly supported by Iran and Russia. Shams’s opposition was not out of any ethnic prejudice for the non-Pashtun ethnic groups in Afghanistan. In fact, he was a great supporter of national unity and solidarity. His stance was based on democratic principles, which qualified Pashtuns, who make up the largest ethnic group of Afghanistan population, to have a major role in the country affairs.

While in Peshawar, Shams continued to publish his party newspaper “Afghan Mellat” which published articles that produced nationalistic sentiments and called for democratic development in the war-ravaged Afghanistan. Besides writing in his party journal, shams also contributed scholarly articles and essays to other newspapers and journals. A unique feature in his writings was that he described facts regardless of its outcome.

Shams kept a close friendly relationship with Pakhtun Nationalist Parties and Pashtu literary organizations of Pakistan, especially Pakhtunkhwa Qawmi Party of Afzal Khan Lala. Shams’s tragic death has been widely condoled by large number of political figures of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Messages of sympathy and grief have come from Afghans all over the world. Fatheha Khwanis have been held in Kabul, Jalalabad, Peshawar, Karachi and Rawalpindi to pay tributes to the great Afghan leader.

After the death of Shamsul Huda Shams, the party congress held an emergency meeting and elected Engineer Ajmal Shams as the new Afghan Mellat Party president. Ajmal Shams, an environmental engineer by profession holds a master degree from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, USA and has served as environmental engineer in the state of Florida. Ajmal has published articles in English and Pashto newspapers. Ajmal speaks fluent English, Pashto, Persian and Urdua languages.