Sulaiman Layeq


Sulaiman Layeq was an Afghan politician, ideologue and poet.

Biography

Initially a student of the College of Theology, he graduated from the College of Literature in 1957. Laeq was a poet and writer in Pashtu and Dari. During 1957-68, Laeq held different posts in the national controlled media.
One of his sisters was married to Mir Akbar Khyber ; another sister was married to Sibghatullah Mojaddedi. Laeq was a founder of the newspaper Parcham in 1968. Together with Babrak Karmal he represented the moderate faction of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan. At the same time, he became a permanent member of the Central Committee of the Parcham parliamentary group. After the Saur Revolution, Laeq became Minister for Radio and Television in 1978 and for a time was admitted to membership in the Politburo after the government had expelled the Parchamis.
After the Khalq Government had removed most Parchamis, Laeq served as a temporary candidate member of the Politburo. Though he was imprisoned for being pro-Karmal the authorities treated him mildly. By 1980, following the intervention of the Soviet Army in Afghanistan, Laeq held several posts. By this time he had become a member of the Central Committee of the Parcham faction of the PDPA.
In 1981 he was promoted to President of the Academy of Sciences, full member of the Afghan Politburo, and Minister of Nationalities and Tribal Affairs.

Books