Afghanistan, the making of the 1964 Constitution : memoirs of Sayed Quassem Rishtya

This account is taken entirely from Sayed Qassem Rishtya's personal diaries and recollections of his time as a Minister between 1963 and 1965 told with unflinching honesty and insight. There is no historical precedent in Afghanistan for a discussion of political affairs in the form of a personal narrative. Much of his story is firsthand, including private conversations with world leaders.

Of particular relevance to today's events was his involvement in Afghanistan's first democratic Constitution, written and adopted in 1964 - the period when Afghan women in European dress held seats in Parliament and filled the Universities away from the eyes of the media.

Not only was he one of the principal authors of the model document, he was also one of the leading players in the political manoeuvring taht led to its adoption. His insistence to adopting the Constitution to the letter earned him the respect of his colleagues, but also antagonised opponents, causeing a rift in the Afghan body politic.

His integrity and deft handling of the oftconflicting concerns of multiple political, religious and tribal factions, in particular as it concerned the constitutional reforms, since they are now partially reinstalled in the 2004 Constitution, could be a model for the country's effort once again to bring democracy to that troubled land.

One of the highlights, of this remarkable account is President Kennedy's caution to Zahir Shah, during the latter's official visit to the United States in 1965, about the dangers of the democratic reforms then underway in Afghanistan and the need to proceed cautiously !

The original manuscript and diaries may well have been lost to posterity were it not for the courage of an Austrian diplomat, who smuggled them out of the country under the noses of the Soviet occupiers.

Sayed Qassem Rishtya was himself forced to flee, taking only the clothes he stood up in, in the wake of Soviet Russia's blitzkrieg during 1979. His name figured on a list, prepared in the aftermath of the Communist Coup, of those who were not allowed to leave the country.

The tanslation into English by his daughter presents the readers with a personal, account of diplomacy and government intrigue at the highest levels, told in an intimate manner that makes us feel as if we were there.