1929- . Afghani communist politician. In 1965
he formed what became the banned People's
Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) 1977.
As president 1979-86, with Soviet backing, he
sought to broaden the appeal of the PDPA but
encountered wide resistance from the
Mujaheddin Muslim guerrillas. Karmal was
imprisoned for anti-government activity in
the early 1950s. He was a member of the
government 1957-62 and of the national
assembly 1965-72. In Dec 1979 he returned
from brief exile in E Europe with Soviet
support to overthrow President Hafizullah
Amin and was installed as the new head of
state. Karmal was persuaded to step down as
president and PDPA leader May 1986 as the
USSR began to search for a compromise
settlement with opposition groupings and to
withdraw troops.