Sultan Ali Keshtmand
| Sultan Ali Keshtmand | |
|---|---|
| Chairman of the Council of Ministers | |
|
In office 21 February 1989 – 8 May 1990 |
|
| President | Mohammad Najibullah |
| Preceded by | Mohammad Hasan Sharq |
| Succeeded by | Fazal Haq Khaliqyar |
|
In office 11 June 1981 – 26 May 1988 |
|
| President |
Babrak Karmal Haji Mohammad Chamkani |
| Preceded by | Babrak Karmal |
| Succeeded by | Mohammad Hasan Sharq |
| Minister of Planning | |
|
In office 28 December 1979 – April 1982 |
|
| Preceded by | Muhammad Siddiq Alemyar |
|
In office 30 April – 23 August 1978 |
|
| Preceded by | Ali Ahmad Khurram |
| Succeeded by | Muhammad Siddiq Alemyar |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 22, 1935 Kabul, Kingdom of Afghanistan |
| Political party | People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan |
Sultan Ali Keshtmand (Persian: سلطانعلی کشتمند), sometimes transliterated Kishtmand, born May 22, 1935 in Kabul, was an Afghan politician. He served twice as Chairman of the Council of Ministers during the 1980s, from 1981 to 1988 and from 1989 to 1990 in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.
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.
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 the other 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 He remained in prison and was sentenced to death, but this decision was revoked and he was resentenced to 15 years in prison.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. Keshtmand 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 Chairman of the Council of Ministers 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 Council of Ministers chairman and was succeeded by Keshtmand. A 21-member Supreme Defense Council headed by Mohammad Najibullah effectively assumed power.
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Wikipedia