Former Afghan President's Brother-In-Law Murdered in Pakistan

Mohammed Hashim Bakhtiari, the brother-in-law of former Afghan president Najibullah, was shot down after returning home on Monday in Peshawar, Pakistan. The attackers killed Bakhtiari after firing upon him with automatic rifles. Police are continuing to investigate Bakhtiari's death. As of yet, no one has claimed responsibility for it.

Bakhtiari had condemned the Taliban for the torture and killing of Najibullah when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, in 1996. The Taliban forced Najibullah and his brother out of their protective compound and proceeded to torture and hang them, leaving their dead bodies in front of the presidential palace for two days.

Najibullah became president of Afghanistan in 1985, and remained in that position until he stepped down in 1992. The Muslim insurgents who took control of the capital after he renounced his office did not allow him to leave Kabul as he had intended. He spent the four years prior to his death in a compound provided by the United Nations.

Many refugees from Afghanistan who live in camps around Peshawar claim strong support for the Taliban and express great hostility towards Najibullah.

Media Resources: AP - November 2, 1998

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