Hajji Mohammed Tschamkani

Hajji Mohammed Tschamkani ( Pashtun حاجی‌محمد چمکنی, * 1947 ; † 2012 ) was an Afghan politician who briefly held the presidency of the Soviet- backed People's Democratic Republic of Afghanistan in 1986 . He previously served as vice president in the government of Babrak Karmal .

He came into office after Babrak Karmal's resignation . As a non-party member and tribal leader with power and connections in key areas of the Pashtun provinces bordering Pakistan , his influence also expanded to Pakistan. However, Mohammed Najibullah was in charge of the country due to his powerful positions as director of the Chidamāt-i Ittilā'āt-i Dawlati (KhAD) secret service and general secretary of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (DVA).

It was also during his tenure that the USSR, under the new reform-minded head of state Mikhail Gorbachev, announced that it wanted to withdraw some of its troops from Afghanistan. His term of office was also marked by the adoption of a new constitution.

Tschamkani's presidency

The war continued with no agreement on a timetable for the withdrawal of the estimated 115,000 Soviet troops. There have been conflicting reports about the military successes of both the resistance movement and Soviet-backed Afghan forces. Western diplomats reported fighting in all major provinces, with many deaths on both sides.

Widespread human rights violations continued and attracted the attention of the UN Commission on Human Rights . At the end of the year, one of the bitterest fights of the war was reported in the occupied city of Khost , eastern Afghanistan, where Soviet-backed government troops were attempting to end a guerrilla siege in the city.

Morale was low in the Afghan army, which was loyal to the government. The Afghan army collapsed from its original strength of 105,000 men in 1978 to around 20,000–30,000 in 1987.

The Soviets tried new tactics, but the resistance developed counter-strategies. For example, the use of the spetsnaz (special forces) was paired with counter-ambushes. The only weapon systems that managed to continuously confuse the resistance were attack helicopters and bombers.

Under his leadership, an extraordinary plenum of the Central Committee of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan approved a “policy of national reconciliation” that included negotiations with opposition groups and the planned formation of a coalition government of national unity.

Kabul also published the law on the formation of "independent" political parties. No party could exist without the approval of the Revolutionary Council; in order to obtain approval (which did not have to be granted), each future party had to provide the names of all members (minimum: 500) and to disclose all sources of funding. In Geneva , two were from the United Nations supported discussions held, who served with the UN as an intermediary bond between the foreign ministers of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Pakistan continued to refuse to enter into direct negotiations with Afghanistan because it did not recognize the Afghan government, backed by the Soviet Union. It also turned down the Afghan government's offer of a 16-month schedule for the withdrawal of Soviet troops, insisting that this period should be shortened to eight months.

Rise of Najibullah

In December 1986, a restructured cabinet decided to elect Mohammed Najibullah's supporters, Mohammad Abdul Wakil and Mohammed Rafi, for the offices of foreign and defense ministers, respectively. Because of this, the presidency of the Revolutionary Council was nothing more than a ceremonial office.

At the same time, Najibullah also launched a campaign for “national reconciliation”, announcing a six-month unilateral ceasefire beginning January 15, 1987, and offering recognition of a non-communist government if they accept the “irreversible nature of the revolutionary process” would.

Nonetheless, a massive Soviet attack was launched three weeks after the armistice in Paktia province .

During the final months of his presidency, a loja jirga was summoned to elect Mohammed Najibullah as President of the Revolutionary Council and to proclaim a new constitution. Tschamkani has now returned to his previous position as Vice President.