Mohammad Hasan Sharq facts for kids

Mohammad Hasan Sharq was an important Afghan politician. He was born on July 17, 1925. He served in the government of Afghanistan during a time when it was supported by the Soviet Union. Mr. Sharq became the head of the government, known as the Chairman of the Council of Ministers. He was chosen for this role in 1988. This happened after a special meeting called a loya jirga approved a new set of rules for the country. However, the President at the time held most of the power, not the Chairman of the Council of Ministers.

Mohammad Hasan Sharq's Political Journey

Early Roles in Government

Mohammad Hasan Sharq worked for Mohammad Daoud Khan, who was also a leader of Afghanistan. When Daoud Khan took on many important jobs himself, he made Sharq his Deputy Prime Minister. Sharq held this position from 1973 to 1975. He was then the First Deputy Prime Minister from 1975 to 1978. He also managed the country's money as the Minister of Finance for a few years. Besides these roles, he spoke for Daoud Khan's political party. He also served as 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 former leaders and even the old king. A new parliament was formed in 1989. This happened as Soviet troops began to leave Afghanistan. President Mohammad Najibullah 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 President still kept most of the power.

Challenges and Changes

Before becoming Chairman, Sharq was the Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers. He also served as Afghanistan's Ambassador to India. Even though he was called "non-PDPA," he had worked with the PDPA party before. When Sharq announced his new government, many of the "new" ministers had also worked for the government in the past. Important jobs like Minister of Interior (in charge of police), State Security, and Foreign Affairs stayed with PDPA members. The job of Minister of Defense was open for a while. It was later given to General Shahnawaz Tanai.

President Najibullah had tried to bring different groups together since 1987. But he could not get any major opposition leaders to join his government. During 1988, two new provinces were created in Afghanistan. These were Sar-e-Pol and Nuristan. This was done to give certain ethnic groups, like the Hazaras and Nuristanis, more representation in the new parliament. Sharq's government also removed a special ministry for different nationalities. In February 1989, Sharq left the government. This showed that efforts to create a united government in Afghanistan were not successful. Mohammad Hasan Sharq was the Prime Minister from 1986 to 1990. He is from the Anar Dara district in Farah province.

Mr. Sharq celebrated his 99th birthday on July 17, 2024.

Government Officials

This table shows some of the people who served in Mohammad Hasan Sharq's government:

See also

• List of oldest living state leaders