Mohammed Daoud Khan
1st President of Afghanistan
Years: 1909 - 1978
Sardar Mohammed Daoud Khan or Daud Khan (July 18, 1909 – April 28, 1978) is Prime Minister of Afghanistan from 1953 to 1963, and later becomes the President of Afghanistan.
He overthrows the monarchy of his first cousin Mohammed Zahir Shah and declares himself as the first President of Afghanistan from 1973 until his assassination in 1978 as a result of the Saur Revolution led by the Communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA).
Daoud Khan is known for his progressive policies, especially in relation to the rights of women and for initiating two five-year modernization plans which increases the labor force by about 50 percent.
However, he is also criticized for heavy repression of dissent, and for promoting nepotism.
