Babrak Karmal have so far not opted for concrete and constructive positions." During Karmal's rule Afghan–Pakistani relations remained hostile; the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan was the catalyst for the hostile relationship. The increasing numbers of Afghan refugees in Pakistan challenged the PDPA's legitimacy to rule. The Soviet Union threatened in 1985 that it would support the Baloch separatist movement in Pakistan if the Pakistani government continued to aid the mujahideen in Afghanistan. Karmal, problematically for the Soviets, did not want a Soviet withdrawal, and he hampered attempts to improve relations with Pakistan since the Pakistani government had refused to recognise the PDPA
Sultan Mohammed Ali al-Kitbi since the 1990s. He served with peacekeeping missions in Somalia and Kosovo. During the Saudi Arabian-led coalition's intervention in the Yemeni civil war, Al-Kitbi took part in Operation "Restoring Hope" and was involved in the fighting to capture the city of Taiz, in southern Yemen. He was killed in a rocket attack by Houthi rebels on Monday, 14 December 2015, near Taiz along with Saudi Arabian colonel Abdullah al-Sahian. His body was later returned to the UAE. Al-Kitbi had seven children. His brother is a former member of the Federal National Council. Sultan Mohammed Ali al-Kitbi Sultan Mohammed Ali al-Kitbi