Mohammed Asif Safi of rising Communist movement, and specifically named Babrak Karmal as one of the members of this movement. Maiwandwal was killed by Parcham (Pashto: پرچم meaning "Banner" or "Flag") wing of the Communist movement (who controlled Interior Ministry) during his custody. General Asif Khan was deeply moved by the assassination of Maiwandwal, who was a prominent figure in Afghanistan’s history. In General Asif Khan’s personal diaries, he noted former Prime Minister Mohammad Hashim Maiwandwal’s assassination as the beginning of Afghanistan's sad history. On April 19, 1978, PDPA leaders such as Nur Muhammad Taraki, Hafizullah Amin and Babrak Karmal, launched a bloody
Babrak Karmal Amin was 50 votes short of being elected. The Parchamite victory may be explained by the simple fact that Karmal could contribute financially to the PDPA electoral campaign. Karmal became a leading figure within the student movement in the 1960s, electing Mohammad Hashim Maiwandwal as Prime Minister after a student demonstration (called for by Karmal) concluded with three deaths under the former leadership. In 1967, the PDPA unofficially split into two formal parties, one Khalqist and one Parchamist. The dissolution of the PDPA was initiated by the closing down of the Khalqist newspaper, "Khalq". Karmal criticised the "Khalq" for being