| Sultan Ali Keshtmand | |
|---|---|
| 17th Prime Minister of Afghanistan 6th Prime Minister of Democratic Republic of Afghanistan |
|
| In office 21 February 1989 – 08 May 1990 |
|
| President | Mohammad Najibullah |
| Preceded by | Mohammad Hasan Sharq |
| Succeeded by | Fazal Haq Khaliqyar |
| 15th Prime Minister of Afghanistan 4th Prime Minister of Democratic Republic of Afghanistan |
|
| In office 11 June 1981 – 26 May 1988 |
|
| President | Babrak Karmal Haji Mohammad Chamkani |
| Preceded by | Babrak Karmal |
| Succeeded by | Mohammad Hasan Sharq |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 22, 1935 Kabul, Kingdom of Afghanistan |
| Political party | People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan |
Sultan Ali Keshtmand, sometimes transliterated Kishtmand, born May 22, 1935 in Kabul, was an Afghan politician. He served twice as Prime Minister during the 1980s, from 1981 to 1988 and from 1989 to 1990 in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.
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Keshtmand was born in Kabul. He is a member of the Hazara ethnic group. He studied economics at Kabul University and became involved in the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan. He joined the Parcham Faction of that party, which was led by Babrak Karmal. He sought and received political asylum from the British Prime Minister John Major. He lives in the UK.[1]
Immediately after the April 1978 coup d'état in which the People's Democratic Party came to power, Keshtmand became the minister of planning in the newly formed Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.
He lost that post in August 1978 when he was arrested for an alleged plot against President Nur Mohammad Taraki, a member of the rival Khalq faction of the party. The PDPA Politburo ordered the arrest of Keshtmand and Public Works Minister Muhammad Rafi'i for their part in the possible anti-regime conspiracy. He and inmates went through severe torture and long imprisonment. He remained in prison and was sentenced to death, but this decision was revoked and he was resentenced to 15 years in prison.
On December 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, bringing Babrak Karmal and the Parcham faction to power. He was released from jail, and was once again joined the Politburo.
Friction among the People's Party members rose in 1980 when Karmal removed Assadullah Sarwari from his position as first deputy prime minister and replaced him with Sultan Ali Keshtmand. Keshtmand, a Parchami, soon became one of the most important leaders of the regime. In June 1981, Karmal retained his other offices, but resigned as prime minister and was succeeded by Keshtmand. A 21-member Supreme Defense Council headed by Mohammad Najibullah effectively assumed power.
The rise in the deficit greatly concerned the government, and as Prime Minister Keshtmand noted in April 1983, the tax collections were inadequate in view of the increased state spending. The security situation in the country, however, prevented the government from improving its tax collections.
In September, 1987, the Kabul government sponsored a large convocation of Hazaras from various parts of the country and offered them autonomy. In his speech to the group, Keshtmand said that the government was going to set up several new provinces in the Hazarajat that would be administered by the local inhabitants.
He served as Prime Minister from 1981 to 1988 and 1989 to 1990, and as vice-President from 1990 until 1991, when he was dismissed shortly before the fall of the government.
A mujaheddin radio station reports intra-Parcham (a faction of the PDPA) (P) clashes in Kabul between supporters of Najibullah and Keshtmand, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers.
Non-PDPA member Mohammad Hassan Sharq was selected by President Najibullah to be the new prime minister, replacing Keshtmand. This move was made in order to free spaces in the new government for nonparty candidates.
He then left Afghanistan, first moving to Russia and then to England. There he became an outspoken defender of the rights of Hazaras and other minorities, claiming that the Pashtun majority in Afghanistan had had too much power in all of Afghanistan's regimes, past and present. After the communist Saur Revolution, which toppled Daud Khan's first Afghan Republic, he reportedly said, "Brothers, today the five long centuries of Pashtun political domination has come to an end."
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Unknown |
Ministry of Mines and Industry 1960 - 1972 |
Succeeded by Unknown |
| Preceded by Unknown |
Minister of Planning 1978 |
Succeeded by Unknown |
| Preceded by Hafizullah Amin |
Deputy Prime Minister 1980 - Unknown |
Succeeded by Unknown |
| Preceded by Unknown |
Minister of Planning 1981 |
Succeeded by Unknown |
| Preceded by Babrak Karmal |
Prime Minister of Afghanistan June 11, 1981-May 26, 1988 |
Succeeded by Mohammad Hasan Sharq |
| Preceded by Mohammad Hasan Sharq |
Prime Minister of Afghanistan February 21, 1989-May 8, 1990 |
Succeeded by Fazal Haq Khaliqyar |
| Preceded by Haji Mohammad Chamkani |
Vice President of Afghanistan 1990 – 1991 |
Succeeded by Abdul Rahim Hatef |
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