Soviet Communication to the Hungarian Leadership on the Situation in Afghanistan

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Budapest, 28 March 1979

BULLETIN

On 27 March, Comrade Janos Berecz received Comrade Vladimir Pavlov, the Soviet Union's ambassador to Hungary at his request, who gave the following oral information on behalf of the CPSU Central Committee:

"In the past months in Afghanistan the internal political situation has become strained, counter-revolutionary reactions have become stronger, which are actively supported and helped by the special services of imperialist powers like China, Pakistan and Iran. The strained internal political situation has been caused by the increasing opposition of the exploiting classes and the reactionary circles of Muslim religion. In their activity against the people's democratic government, the Afghan counter-revolutionaries make use of the conservative and reactionary traditions of Islam, the influence of tribal leaders, the deepening class conflicts coming to the surface because of the land reform, the economic difficulties, the lack of experience of party cadres and certain mistakes of the Afghan revolutionary power.

The program of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan is aimed at wide social-economic changes in the interest of the working masses, at the same time, in practice, they are only in the beginning phase of realization. The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan has not yet become a mass party and it has also been weakened by internal conflicts for a long time.

The Afghan leadership have abused their position both in the solution of party and state questions, because they have not only taken repressive measures against the obvious enemies of the republic but against the hesitating as well, especially among the intelligentsia. According to all indications, dissatisfaction concerns the army as well, which has always been the main supporter of the fight against the counter-revolutionary forces.

Recently the Afghan reactionary forces have organized armed actions with foreign support. They have managed to draw one part of the population and a unit of the army to their side in the town of Herat. /The order in the town was restored on 20 March./

The most active counter-revolutionary force is the organization of "Muslim Brothers", the headquarters of which can be found on Pakistani territory and has the wide-range support of the Pakistani government. From Pakistan, Iran and China an enraged propaganda campaign is aimed at democratic Afghanistan and her government. From Pakistani territory armed diversion units are transferred to Afghanistan, who call upon the people to start a "holy war", actions of sabotage and an armed mass uprising against the government.

In the anti-governmental movements participates a reactionary group of the Shiite Muslim religion as well. Also participates in it a Maoist clique, many of whose members have received special training in China, and have been deployed in Afghanistan to execute diversion and terrorist actions with the support of Chinese authorities.

The Soviet Union has provided wide-range political and financial support to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, including the consolidation of her armed forces and does so even more in the present complicated situation. The Soviet press, the radio and the television reveal to a great extent the intrigues of the internal and external reactionary forces against the revolutionary government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and fight for the consolidation of the new revolutionary system.

As far as we are concerned, we have drawn the attention of the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan several times - moreover at the highest level as well - to the mistakes of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan and the government.

The CPSU Central Committee expresses its hope that the friendly countries will also take the necessary steps to provide aid and support to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan in this hard period.