The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

“Do you see this map?” asked Amin. “From Seistan to Badakhshan, it’s all yours. Now, youown this land, under one condition. You will not act against me. Otherwise, you will be dead.”“I have no interest in going against you,” Qadir assured him. “But tell me, why did you lie tome? Remember, you came to me with Taraki, and you both promised that the party would beunited.”Amin pushed his glass away, spilling the whiskey. He rose and quickly closed in on Qadir,took him by the elbow, and looking straight into his eyes said, “Trust me, and you will be fine.”Qadir freed his elbow, stepping back.“I know that you can arrest and even kill me. On the one hand, there are your ambitions andyour game, which is unclear to me. On the other, there is the cause of the revolution, which Iserve.”This is what Qadir told us about that conversation. He promised that he didn’t undertakeany actions against Taraki and Amin. It is difficult to say whether Qadir was sincere with us.According to the official version of events, Parchamis and some generals from the Ministry ofDefense, acting independently of each other, were developing plans for another coup. Afghansources even cite the date for when the next revolution was scheduled—September 12, 1978.Shahpur Ahmadzai, the head of the General Staff, along with a number of senior officers from theMinistry of Defense, allegedly was instructed to provide support of military units and to neutralizethe Khalqi chain of command. The minister of planning, Sultan Ali Keshtmand, and otherprominent Parchamis were tasked with working with the civilian population. When prompted,they were supposed to take people out into the streets in solidarity with the adversaries of Tarakiand Amin. Everybody tends to think that Abdul Qadir was destined to play the role of the directorof the new drama on the political stage of Kabul. However, when speaking with us, he rejected that195