Last modified: 2008-08-09 by ian macdonald
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The Afghan Nation (in Pashto, Afghan Mellat) party was founded in March 1966
by Ghulam Mohammad Farhad (1901-1984; Mayor of Kabul from 1948 to 1954 and MP
from 1968 to 1970), as the Afghan Social Democratic Party. After the April 1978
revolution, the party was banned and set up its headquarters in Pakistan. In the
1980s, the party split into two main factions named after their respective
leaders, Shams and Wakman.
Quoting Azadi Radio:
"Officially formed in
the mid-1960s under the name Afghan Social Democratic Party, this political
formation has undergone major changes that include factional splits. The party
was originally steeped in Pashtun nationalism and favored the formation of a
"Greater Afghanistan" that would include Pakistan's North-West Frontier
Province. Ahadi was chosen to lead Afghan Nation in 1995, and the party has
since distanced itself from its early doctrine but still favors increased rights
for Pashtuns - especially promoting the Pashto language. Afghan Nation backed
Hamid Karzai's presidential bid. Party leader Ahadi now serves as Karzai's
Finance Minister; his father-in-law, Sayyed Ahmad Gailani, heads the National
Islamic Front of Afghanistan."
http://www.azadiradio.org/en/specials/elections/parties.asp
The
other faction was officially registered as a party in May 2007, as reported by
"The PakTribune", 28 May 2007:
"The Ministry of Justice of the Islamic
Republic of Afghanistan officially registered The Afghanistan Social Democratic
Party also well known as Afghan Mellat Party (Shams), with Engineer Ajmal Shams
as the party head. [...] After the death of Afghan Mellat founding president
Engineer Ghulam Mohammad Farhad back in 1984, the party had split into two main
factions led by the late Shamsul Huda Shams and Mohammad Amin Wakman,
respectively. Afghan Finance Minister Anwar Ul Haq Ahady currently leads the
Wakman faction, while the Shams faction elected Engineer Ajmal Shams as its new
president after the demise of Shamsul Huda Shams in October 2005. Since the
Ahady faction of Afghan Mellat Party had already got its registration from
Ministry of Justice under the name Afghan Social Democratic (Afghan Mellat)
Party, the Shams Faction of Afghan Mellat, as per the new party law, had to
slightly re-phrase its official name to avoid the legal conflict and to qualify
for official recognition. Therefore the party supreme council unanimously agreed
to rename the party as Afghanistan Social Democratic (Afghan Mellat National
Progressive) Party. However, the party is well known among Afghans as Afghan
Mellat (Shams). [...]"
http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?179425
The Afghan Mellat
(Wakman / Ahadi) websites show photographs of political meetings. The stand is
flanked with the Afghan national flag and the party flag, light blue with the
party emblem, in white or yellow:
http://www.afghanmellat.org/phtoto_gallary_page.htm - Afghan website, photo
gallery (direct link to the images,
http://www.afghanmellat.org/photographs/i.jpg and
http://www.afghanmellat.org/photographs/muzahira_peshawar5.jpg
http://www.afghanmellat.de/Bildergalerie.htm - German website, photo gallery
(direct link to the image,
http://www.afghanmellat.de/fotos/farooq.jpg)
The party emblem is
shown, on a light blue background, on the top of the front page of the German
website, as made of a raptor holding a vertical sword in its mouth. The writing
on the bird most probably reads "Mellat", while the longer writing below the
bird might be the long name of the party. The short writing is visible on the
flag photography, while the shorter is masked by the flag folds.
The
website of the Afghan Mellat (Shams) party shows a black and white emblem,
completely different from the emblem of the Afghan Mellat (Wakman / Ahadi)
website.
http://www.afghanmillat.org
Ivan Sache, 18 July 2008
