Former Afghan Prime Minister Sultan Ali Keshtmand Dies in London

Former Afghanistan Prime Minister Sultan Ali Keshtmand died in London on Friday, March 13, according to a statement confirmed by his brother on the family’s official Facebook page.

Keshtmand served as prime minister from June 11, 1981, to May 26, 1988, during the presidency of Babrak Karmal. He returned to the position from February 21, 1989, to May 8, 1990, under the government of Mohammad Najibullah. He also served as minister of planning and represented Kabul in parliament.

Born in spring 1935 in Kabul’s Chahardahi area to a farming family, Keshtmand adopted the pen name “Keshtmand,” meaning farmer, reflecting his rural roots.

After the collapse of Najibullah’s government in 1992, Keshtmand left Afghanistan, first moving to Russia before settling in the United Kingdom, where he lived in London until his death.

His career spanned the turbulent Soviet-backed governments following the Saur Revolution, a period of intense internal conflict and international involvement. As the first member of Afghanistan’s Hazara community to become prime minister, Keshtmand held a prominent role in the country’s political leadership during the 1980s and remains a significant figure for the Hazara community and in discussions among historians and political observers.