26 of Saratan (July 17) was the 45th anniversary of the coup d'etat which ended two centuries of royal rule in Afghanistan. 

It was on this day in 1973 that forces led by then-army commander Lieutenant General Mohammed Daoud Khan and then-Chief of Staff General Abdul Karim Mustaghni overthrew the monarchy. 

At the time King Mohammed Zahir Shah was abroad for medical treatment. He decided not to retaliate and formally abdicated on August 24, remaining in Italy in exile. 

Many believe that Daoud Khan’s coup was a turning point in Afghanistan’s politics and some say the coup was one of the biggest mistakes ever made by Daoud Khan.

Daoud Khan was the first of five Afghan republican presidents that served between the fall of the Afghan monarchy in 1973 and the establishment of the Islamic state in 1992. Four out of the five, including Daoud Khan, met untimely deaths.

In this episode of Goftman, host Partaw Naderi discusses the topic with the following guests:

•             Ghulam Mohammad Mohammadi, a historian

•             Hamid Elmi, a writer

•             Mia Gul Wasiq, a political analyst

•             Musa Farivar, university lecturer