Mohammad Hasan Sharq facts for kids

Mohammad Hasan Sharq (Pashto: محمد حسن شرق, born 17 July 1925) is an important Afghan politician. He was active in the government of Afghanistan when it was supported by the Soviet Union. Sharq became the leader of the government, known as the Chairman of the Council of Ministers. He was chosen for this role in 1988 as a middle-ground candidate. This happened after a large traditional meeting, called a loya jirga, approved a new set of rules for the country. However, the President at the time held more power than Sharq's position.

Sharq's Early Career

Mohammad Hasan Sharq worked for earlier Afghan leaders. He was a spokesperson for Mohammad Daoud Khan, who was also a Prime Minister. When Daoud Khan took on many important roles, he made Sharq his Deputy Prime Minister. Sharq served as Deputy Prime Minister from 1973 to 1975. He then became the First Deputy Prime Minister from 1975 to 1978.

Sharq also held the job of Minister of Finance from 1975 to about 1976. Later, he became Afghanistan's ambassador to Japan. This means he represented Afghanistan in Japan.

Becoming Prime Minister

In 1986, Afghanistan's foreign minister invited different groups to join a new government. These groups included leaders of the mujahideen (a group of fighters), the former king, and past government ministers. The goal was to create a "government of national unity."

In 1988, after an agreement called the Geneva Accords took effect, Soviet troops began leaving Afghanistan. President Mohammad Najibullah then chose Sharq to be the new Chairman of the Council of Ministers. He replaced Sultan Ali Keshtmand. This choice was meant to show that the main political party, the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA), was taking a less central role. However, the new rules for the country gave the President most of the power, so Najibullah remained very influential.

Challenges and Resignation

Before becoming Prime Minister, Sharq had been the Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers since 1987. He also served as Afghanistan's Ambassador to India. When Sharq announced his new government, it included some new faces. However, many of these "new" ministers had already worked for the government in other roles. Also, important jobs like the Minister of Interior, State Security, and Foreign Affairs stayed with members of the main political party.

The government tried to find a respected military leader for the Minister of Defense job. This position remained empty for nearly two months. In August, it was given to General Shahnawaz Tanai.

Even after announcing a "national reconciliation policy" in 1987, President Najibullah found it hard to get major opposition figures to join the government. In 1988, two new provinces were created: Sar-e Pol and Nuristan. This was done to help ethnic groups like the Hazaras and Nuristanis have more representation in the new parliament.

In February 1989, Sharq resigned from his position. This showed that the efforts to create a unified government in Afghanistan were not successful. Mohammad Hasan Sharq, who is from the Anar Dara district, served as Prime Minister in the Najibullah government from 1988 to 1989.