Hafizullah Amin (1 August 1929 – 27 December 1979) was the president of the communist Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.

Comrade Stalin showed us how to build socialism in a backward country: it's painful to begin with, but afterwards everything turns out just fine.

Quotes

• Our homeland's enemies, the enemies of the working class movement all over the world are trying to penetrate into the PDPA leadership and above all woo the working class party leader but the people of Afghanistan and the PDPA both take great pride in the fact that the PDPA and its General-Secretary enjoys a great personality which render him impossible to woo.
  • As quoted in Beverley Male (1982) Revolutionary Afghanistan: A Reappraisal, page 167

• Any person and any element who harms the friendship between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union will be considered the enemy of the country, enemy of our people and enemy of our revolution. We will not allow anybody in Afghanistan to act against the friendship of Afghanistan and the Soviet Union.
  • As quoted in Beverley Male (1982) Revolutionary Afghanistan: A Reappraisal, page 183

• Those who boast of friendship with us, they can really be our friend when they respect our independence, our soil and our prideful traditions.
  • As quoted in Beverley Male (1982) Revolutionary Afghanistan: A Reappraisal, page 183

• You are the one who should quit! Because of drink and old age you have taken leave of your senses.
  • Amin on Nur Muhammad Taraki, as quoted in Nabi Misdaq (2006) Afghanistan: Political Frailty and External Interference, page 125

• Comrade Stalin showed us how to build socialism in a backward country: it's painful to begin with, but afterwards everything turns out just fine.
  • As quoted in Rodric Braithwaite (2010) Afgantsy: The Russians in Afghanistan 1979-89, page 76

Quotes about Amin

• Despite his Soviet connections, prominent Afghans viewed Amin not so much as a communist but rather as an ambitious and ruthless Pashtun nationalist who would not hesitate to use any means to eliminate his rivals.
  • Deepak Tripathi (2010) Breeding Ground: Afghanistan and the Origins of Islamic Terrorism, pages 41-42

• I noticed long ago that Amin has the tendency to concentrate power in his own hands but I did not attach any particular significance to this. However, recently this tendency has become dangerous.
  • Nur Muhammad Taraki, as quoted in Rodric Braithwaite (2010) Afgantsy: The Russians in Afghanistan 1979-89, page 65

External links