The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

eceived consent from the Soviet side to assist in creating an Institute for Party Scholarship.He signed an agreement to build a Center for Soviet Science and Culture in Kabul. Hisinvolvement ranged from personally conducting military operations against the rebels toorganizing a campaign against locusts.Under Amin, a Constitutional Commission was formed. The commission was taskedto prepare and present for discussion a draft of the constitution of the DRA by January 1,1980. Several prominent specialists on state law, including a staff member of the Presidiumof the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the deputy directors of two major institutions, weresent from the Soviet Union to assist the commission. These scholars had difficultyinteracting with the Afghan leader, who passionately desired to contribute personally tothe Afghan constitution. For example, he sought to establish the political structure ofAfghanistan as a socialist state in the constitution. He suggested emulating the Sovietexample by creating four socialist republics: the Afghan Socialist Republics (ASR) ofPashtunistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Hazaristan. Only with great difficulty was Amintalked out of such wishes.***After Amin received official congratulations in honor of his election to the top partyand state positions, Alexander Mikhailovich Puzanov decided that everything wouldeventually return to business as usual. “Taraki himself is to blame for what happened,” theambassador would tell his confidantes. “He had resigned to being the nominal leader for along time, but in reality, Amin pulled all the strings.”609