Special events urged to mark Mujahideen Victory Day

KABUL’s Victory Day in a befitting manner.

On April 27, 1979, President Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan and most of his family members were assassinated as a result of the Saur Revolution (PDPA).

Daud Khan, known for his progressive policies, especially in relation to the rights of women, was a former prime minister who became president after overthrowing the monarchy of his first cousin Mohammed Zahir Shah.

Falling on April 28, the Mujahideen Victory Day is marked as an official holiday that commemorates the end of communist rule in 1992.

Ustad Mohammad Akbari, a lawmaker from central Bamyan province, said the coup had unleashed unending misfortunes on the Afghans, with its political and economic consequences continuing to haunt them to date.

He said the mujahideen had been able to defeat the former superpower that backed the communists by rendering countless sacrifices. Akbari suggested the victory day should be celebrated by arranging special events.

No exact figures are known about how many were killed and wounded by the Soviets occupation troops, but nearly two million people are believed to have suffered casualties in the invasion that displaced nearly five million people.

Herat MP Khalil Shahzad called April 27 a day that marked mass killings. He said the Mujahideen’s Day should be celebrated with special arrangements because it had a great importance and it was a matter of pride for the nation.

Second Deputy Speaker Mohammad Saleh Saljooqi, who chaired the session, asked the government to make special arrangements for marking the day. He also condemned April 27 as a “black day” that marked the inception of an unending nightmare for the people of Afghanistan.

ma/mud

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