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Keshtmand served in several senior government positions, including **Minister of Planning** and **Prime Minister**, and was among the most prominent Afghan political figures associated with the PDPA government during the 1980s. He is also historically notable as **the first Prime Minister of Afghanistan from the Hazara Shiʿa minority community**.


    • Sultan Ali Keshtmand** (1935 – 12 February 2026) was an Afghan politician who served as **Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) of Afghanistan** during the 1980s under the government of the **People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan**. A founding member of the party and a leading figure of its **Parcham faction**, he played an important role in Afghanistan’s political leadership during the Cold War period and the **Soviet–Afghan War**.

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  1. Early life and education

Sultan Ali Keshtmand was born in the spring of **1935** into a peasant family in a village near **Kabul**. His upbringing took place in a rural environment during a period when Afghanistan remained largely agrarian and socially traditional.

He completed his primary education in the Chahar Deh district of Kabul Province, attending school in the Char Qala area. He later moved to Kabul city to continue his secondary education at **Ghazi High School**, one of the country’s most prominent secondary institutions.

After graduating from high school, Keshtmand enrolled at **Kabul University**, where he studied economics. The university during the 1950s and 1960s was an important center of political and intellectual debate, where various ideological currents—including nationalism, socialism, and Islamic reform movements—were actively discussed among students and academics.

Following his graduation, Keshtmand joined the **Ministry of Mines and Industries**, where he worked for approximately twelve years in mine administration and industrial management.

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  1. Political career
    1. Founding of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan

Keshtmand was among the founding members of the **People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan**, which was formally established in Kabul on **1 January 1965**. The party was a Marxist-oriented political movement that sought social reform, modernization, and greater political participation in Afghanistan.

At the party’s founding congress, Keshtmand was elected as one of the principal members of the **Central Committee**, placing him among the early leadership of the organization.

The PDPA developed during the constitutional monarchy of **Mohammed Zahir Shah**, a period sometimes described as Afghanistan’s “decade of democracy,” when limited political freedoms allowed the emergence of ideological parties and student movements.

Later in **October 1965**, during political demonstrations in Kabul, Keshtmand was briefly arrested by government authorities.

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  1. Political activities before 1978

Between **1965 and 1978**, Keshtmand remained active within the PDPA’s ideological and political activities. He contributed to political literature, party organization, and the development of the party’s program.

During this period the PDPA experienced internal divisions that eventually led to the emergence of two major factions:

  • **Khalq**
  • **Parcham**

Keshtmand became associated with the **Parcham faction**, which was led by **Babrak Karmal**.

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  1. Role after the Saur Revolution

Following the **Saur Revolution** on **7 April 1978**, the PDPA seized power in Afghanistan and established a revolutionary government.

Keshtmand was appointed **Minister of Planning**, a position that placed him at the center of the government’s economic planning and development strategies.

However, tensions between the Khalq and Parcham factions soon intensified. On **23 August 1978**, during the consolidation of power by the Khalq leadership, Keshtmand was arrested along with several other Parcham leaders.

He was accused of conspiring against the government led by **Hafizullah Amin** and was sentenced to a long term of imprisonment. During his detention he reportedly endured severe interrogation and mistreatment.

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  1. Return to power after the Soviet intervention

Keshtmand was released from prison after the Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan in **December 1979**, which resulted in the removal of Hafizullah Amin and the installation of **Babrak Karmal** as president.

Following his release, Keshtmand returned to political leadership within the PDPA and became a member of the **Politburo** of the party. He again assumed responsibilities in economic administration and was reappointed **Minister of Planning**.

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  1. Prime Minister of Afghanistan

In **May 1981**, Keshtmand was appointed **Chairman of the Council of Ministers**, effectively serving as **Prime Minister of Afghanistan**.

His tenure coincided with one of the most difficult periods in the country’s modern history. Afghanistan was engaged in a prolonged conflict during the **Soviet–Afghan War**, which involved government forces supported by the Soviet Union and various insurgent groups collectively known as the mujahideen.

As prime minister, Keshtmand was responsible for supervising economic policy, administrative governance, and reconstruction programs in areas under government control. His government attempted to maintain basic state institutions and economic administration despite the ongoing conflict.

Keshtmand remained prime minister for much of the 1980s and later served again briefly during the presidency of **Mohammad Najibullah**.

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  1. Resignation and political crisis

In **July 1991**, amid political tensions and disagreements within the Afghan leadership concerning reform policies and the future direction of the government, Keshtmand resigned from his positions within both the PDPA and the government.

His resignation occurred during a period of rapid political change that ultimately led to the collapse of the Soviet-backed Afghan state.

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  1. Assassination attempt

In **February 1992**, Keshtmand survived an assassination attempt in **Kabul**. He was seriously injured in the attack and required extensive medical treatment and multiple surgeries.

The injuries reportedly affected his health for the remainder of his life.

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  1. Exile

Later in 1992, as political authority in Kabul collapsed and mujahideen forces entered the city, Keshtmand left Afghanistan for medical treatment abroad.

He initially traveled to **Moscow**, and later settled in **London**, where he lived in exile for several decades.

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  1. Death

Sultan Ali Keshtmand died on **12 February 2026** in London at the age of **90**.

He spent the final decades of his life outside Afghanistan but remained an important historical figure associated with the PDPA era of Afghan politics.

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  1. Historical significance

Keshtmand’s political career reflected the ideological struggles and geopolitical tensions that shaped Afghanistan during the Cold War.

He is particularly notable for:

  • being a **founding member of the PDPA**
  • serving as **Prime Minister during the Soviet–Afghan War**
  • being **the first Hazara Shiʿa to hold the office of Prime Minister in Afghanistan**

His career illustrates the complex political history of Afghanistan during the late twentieth century.

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