Khalq

Khalq خلق
Founder	Nur Muhammad Taraki
Founded	1 January 1965
Newspaper	Khalq (1966)
Armed wing	Sarandoy (de facto)
Ideology	Communism Marxism-Leninism Pashtun nationalism[1] Pashtun irredentism[2] Pashtunization[3] Left-wing nationalism Factions: Stalinism[4]
Political position	Far-left
Colors	Red and Gold
Party flag
Politics of Afghanistan Political parties Elections

Khalq (Pashto: خلق, lit. 'masses' or 'people') was a faction of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA). Its historical de facto leaders were Nur Muhammad Taraki (1967–1979), Hafizullah Amin (1979) and Sayed Mohammad Gulabzoy (1979–1990).^[5] It was also the name of the leftist newspaper produced by the same movement. The Khalq wing was formed in 1967 after the split of the party due to bitter resentment with the rival Parcham faction which had a differing revolutionary strategy.

It was made up primarily of Pashtuns from rural backgrounds, especially from the Loya Paktia region of Afghanistan. Its leaders preferred a mass organization approach and advocated class struggle to overthrow the system to bring about political, economic and social changes.^[6] They would rule the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan that was formed as a result of the Saur Revolution in 1978. The Khalqists introduced radical reforms and carried out brutal crackdowns on dissent turning Afghanistan into a police state ran by the AGSA (and later KAM). The Khalqist crackdowns encouraged the rebellion of the religious and ethnic minority segments present in the Afghan society, which led more people joining exiled Islamist parties in Pakistan. Khalqist rule would be ended following the Soviet military intervention in December 1979 overthrowing Hafizullah Amin.