Hekmaytar joined the Muslim Youth organization as a student in the early 1970s in the era after Ayub Khan, where he was known for his Islamic renaissance thoughts rejected by a traditionalist Islamic faction of the organization. He spent time in Pakistan as he was searched by Daoud Regime, before returning to Afghanistan when the Soviet–Afghan War began in 1979, at which time he and his Hezb-e Islami organization quickly started resistance to Soviet Invasion. Seeing his advances in resistance movement, the US and Saudis shifted their funding to Hizb-e Islami in mid 1980s. Due to his success on the war field and large resistance area held, he received more International funding than any other mujahideen leader during the Soviet-Afghan War.