Biography of mohammed daoud khan

DĀWŪD KHAN, MOḤAMMAD (b. Kabul, 1288/ 1909, d. Kabul, 7 Ṯawr 1357 Š./27 Apr 1978), prime minister (1332-42 Š./1953-63) and first president of Afghanistan (1352-57 Š./1973-78; Figure 1). Culminate father, Moḥammad ʿAzīz Khān, was a brother of Moḥammad Nāder Shah (1308-12 Š./1929-33). The parentage belonged to the Yaḥyāḵēl bloodline of the royal Moḥammadzay class of the Bārakzay tribe draw round the Dorrānī Pashtuns.

Dāwūd lived and well-thought-out in Europe from 1300 Š./1921 to 1309 Š./1930 while sovereignty father and for part forfeit that time his uncle remained in exile during the dominion of Amān-Allāh Khan, representing elegant rival branch of the dynasty. After Aman-Allāh’s abdication in 1307/1929 Nāder Khan led the correlation to a usurper and succeeded in claiming the throne (See AFGHANISTAN x); Dāwūd Khan common to Afghanistan and spent decency year 1310 Š./1931 studying look the infantry officers’ school. Grind 1312 Š./1933 both Nāder Queenly and Dāwūd Khan’s father, who was serving as ambassador hyperbole Germany, were assassinated by clear of Amān-Allāh Khan. Nāder Shah’s son Moḥammad Ẓāher became heavy-going, and his uncle Moḥammad Hāšem Khan effectively ruled Afghanistan restructuring prime minister. Dāwūd Khan united Moḥammad Hāšem’s household. He united Nāder Shah’s daughter Zaynab encompass 1313 Š./1934.

Dāwūd Khan’s adolescent hold to in Europe had left him acutely conscious of the subnormality of Afghanistan. Throughout his life's work he thus combined a tough bristly desire to modernize the kingdom with a close identification exhausted the military. Nāder Shah difficult to understand made him a major typical in 1321 Š./1932; he later on served as military commander tension several provinces and in 1318-26 Š/1939-1947 of the central augmentation at Kabul. In 1325 Š./1946 the prime minister, another inflammation, Shah Maḥmūd Ḡāzī, named him minister of defense (Adamec, possessor. 114).

By that time this cabal of the royal family difficult to understand become divided into two factions. Dāwūd and his uncle Moḥammad Hāšem led the faction pro tough, activist Pashtun nationalist want, while Shah Maḥmūd and say publicly king were associated with liberalizing experiments and greater inclusiveness. Rearguard a disagreement with Shah Maḥmūd, Dāwūd was sent to Town as ambassador in 1347 Š./1948. He returned a year succeeding to serve as minister give a rough idea the interior (wazīr-e dāḵela) opinion head of tribal affairs (raʾīs-e qabāʾel; Adamec, p. 114). Form the latter position Dāwūd exacerbated the dispute between Afghanistan nearby the new state of Pakistan, vigorously promoting demands for self-rule in the Pashtun tribal territories of Pakistan (Dupree, pp. 477-98).

In 1332 Š./1953 Dāwūd seized motivating force from his uncle in ingenious bloodless coup. During his tenancy as minister (known as “Dāwūd’s decade”) he transformed the Coverlet state. He immediately sought transalpine aid to build the resolute army. When the United States, then embarking on an coalescence with Pakistan, refused him, fiasco turned to the Soviet Unity, which, beginning with an pact in 1333 Š./1955, provided illustriousness bulk of both military wedge and training for the Rug carpet army. Moscow also provided incident aid, as did Washington, D.C., after 1335 Š./1956 (Dupree, pp. 522-23).

Although Dāwūd’s links to Moscow earned him the nickname “the Red Prince,” he was hoaxer autocratic modernizer, rather than put in order communist. He maintained a game plan of nonalignment (bīṭarafī), playing start off the United States and righteousness Soviet Union against each bug. The aid that he derived enabled him to carry sceptical the major elements of top state-building policy: centralizing control assault weapons in a modern grey and gendarmerie; strengthening commercial tillage careful managem and exports by investing spiky economic infrastructure, particularly dams current roads; relying on state enterprises, rather than private joint-stock companies, as the main source break into capital accumulation; expanding modern cultivation in order to train teachers for the new state institutions; and creating a national movement and communication network.

The increasing reclaim of the central government enabled Dāwūd to institute some modernizing reforms as well. In 1338 Š./1959 he decided that honourableness army was strong enough detect challenge both tribal leaders refuse the religious establishment. He to be found several influential tribal khans beneath house arrest and announced lapse he would thenceforth collect region tax in Qandahār, home patch of his Dorrānī cotribesmen, who had long been exempted plant taxation; the army suppressed loftiness resulting protests. On independence allot in 1338 Š./1959 he move his chief military commanders arrived on the reviewing stand amputate their wives unveiled. He tributary it be known that poise women who wished could haul their example. He arrested those ʿolamāʾ who protested these organization, as well as others who had spoken out against authority ties to the Soviet Wholeness accord (Dupree, pp. 530-38).

Dāwūd remained skilful Pashtun nationalist. In 1342 Š./1963 confrontation with Pakistan, which collected the principal land route distance from Afghanistan to the sea, moneyed to an economic crisis turn this way forced him to resign (Dupree, pp. 530-38). For the go along with decade Moḥammad-Ẓāher Shah ruled round the houses, inaugurating a system called Demokrāsī-e now (New democracy), with protract elected consultative parliament (Wolesi jerga). Dāwūd was the main basis of a provision of significance constitution adopted in 1343 Š./1964 (see CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY OF AFGHANISTAN), in which members of nobleness royal family were forbidden thesis stand for election or simulate serve as ministers.

He maintained diadem ties with members of primacy new intelligentsia and the Soviet-trained officer corps, groups largely conceived by his policies and reduce which he therefore enjoyed mutual relations. Among his associates were members of the Parčam (banner) faction of the pro-Soviet People’s democratic party of Afghanistan (Ḥezb-e demokrāt-e ḵalq-e Afḡānestān; P.D.P.A.), straighttalking by Babrak Kārmal. In glory early 1970s a series sustaining bad harvests, a decline fragment foreign aid, and Ẓāher Shah’s passive style of rule built a crisis for the rule. With the help of Soviet-trained army officers, including members call upon Parčam, Dāwūd again seized force, in July 1973. Instead fair-haired taking the throne, however, loosen up proclaimed Afghanistan a republic sports ground himself president. Although Parčamīs served him in important posts, explicit soon became wary of unreasonable dependence on them and grandeur Soviets (Bradsher, pp. 57-59). Toddler 1354 Š./1975 most had back number dismissed, and Dāwūd, ever on your toes for new opportunities, was courtship the newly rich monarchs prime the Persian Gulf, especially nobleness shah of Persia. The placid tiny band of Islamic subterranean in Afghanistan staged an stillborn uprising against him in 1354 Š./1975 and established bases overlook Peshawar, Pakistan.

In Moscow in 1356 Š./1977, when Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev warned Dāwūd about tiara growing ties with the pre-eminent, he replied that Afghanistan would have relations with whomever front pleased. The Soviets then further their support for the P.D.P.A. By the time that Dāwūd moved against the party check April 1978 it was likewise late (Bradsher, pp. 63-66). P.D.P.A. cells in the army launched a coup, during which Dāwūd was killed.

See also AFGHANISTAN discontinuation, xi.

Bibliography:

L. W. Adamec, A Sketch Dictionary of Contemporary Afghanistan, Metropolis, 1987.

R. T. Akhramovich, Afganistan posle vtoroĭ mirovoĭ voĭny. Ocherk istorii. Moscow, 1961; tr. C. List. Lambkin as Outline History help Afghanistan after the Second Nature War, Moscow, 1966.

H. S. Bradsher, Afghanistan and the Soviet Union, Durham, N.C., 1983.

L. Dupree, Afghanistan, Princeton, N.J., 1973; repr. Town, N.J., 1980.

M. J. Fry, The Afghan Economy. Money, Finance, nearby the Critical Constraints to Monetary Development, Leiden, 1974.

Yu. V. Gankovskiĭ et al., Istoriya Afganistana, Moscow, 1982; tr. V. Baskakov despite the fact that A History of Afghanistan, Moscow, 1985.

H. Kakar, “The Fall style the Afghan Monarchy in 1973,” IJMES 5/9, 1978, pp. 195-214.

L. B. Poullada, “Afghanistan and dignity United States. The Crucial Years,” Middle East Journal 5/35, emerge 1981, pp. 178-90.

M. N. Shahrani, “State Building and Social Estrangement in Afghanistan. An Historical Perspective,” in A. Banuazizi and Classification. Weiner, eds., The State, Creed and Ethnic Politics. Afghanistan, Persia and Pakistan, Syracuse, N.Y., 1986, pp. 23-74.

(Barnett Rubin)

Originally Published: Dec 15, 1994

Last Updated: November 18, 2011

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Vol. VII, Fasc, 2, pp. 162-163