Zafar Khan (Afghan general)

On 8 March 1990, Shahnawaz Tanai and his Army personnel with the help of mujahideen commander, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar launched a coup against the then Russian-backed President Mohammad Najibullah. As Najibullah was transferring all the privileges of the Army to the tribal militias and in particular to his special guard, this policy intensified Tanai for which he launched the coup.

President Najibuulah was a member of the Parcham faction of the Communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) whereas Defence Minister Shahnawaz Tanai was a member of the Khalq faction of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan. After launching the Coup, Tanai taking asylum in Bagram with Lieutenant General Zafar Khan(the Commander in charge of 40th Army Corps, Bagram Airfield and Military Base) and Abdul Qadir Aqa (Air Force Commander) ordered to air strike against Government Buildings. Hekmatyar also ordered his fighters to intensify their attacks against the Kabul regime in support of Tanai. The battle of 8 March 1990 continued as the Khalq party attacked Kabul with 40th Army Corps from Bagram Base and the Parcham party continued attacks on Bagram Base with 8th Army Corps, Ministry of Defence for Govt., Republic Guard, and his own Guards. In the meanwhile Russians backed Najib with huge supplies and troops which resulted in the breakdown of Khalq Hizb.

After the battle, 80 senior officers including Generals and Commanders have seemed to be dead, 27 Khalqi officers along with Hekmatyar and Tanai escaped to Pakistan and 127 Khalqi officers were sentenced to life imprisonment among which Lt. General Zafar Khan, General Abdul Wahab, Lt. General Aziz Rahman, Colonel Sadiq were some of the prisoners.

As Tanai failed with his unsuccessful attempt, Mohammad Najibullah along with his guard and soldiers won the battle of 8 March 1990. He appeared on TV at 10 p.m. the same night to prove that he was physically there and in effective control of the state apparatus. But after he survived the coup, there grew the increasing tensions of the shortage of fuel and food at the end of winter in 1992, as all his supplies have either been damaged or consumed by the people and soldiers. On April 16, having lost internal control, was forced to resign by his own ruling party, following the capture of the strategically important Bagram air base and the nearby town of Charikar, by the Jamiat-e Islami guerrilla group and overnight Najib's regime became weaker and collapsed in winter 1992. As the Mujaheedin commanders entered the Kabul streets, now the entire Govt. was under the control of Mujaheedin.

Hazrat Saheb became the president and the prisoners under Najib's regime were released. After the release, the officers fled to foreign countries along with their family and the regime of Taliban started. But even today, out of 127 officers 50 of them are still maintaining positions in Afghan National Army (ANA).