Nizamuddin Tahzib

Nizamuddin Tahzib (1933/34 2016) was an Afghan jurist, politician, and member of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) who served as the chief Justice of Afghanistan during the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan era. He also served as the minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs and minister of Information and Culture following the Saur Revolution and was associated with the Parcham faction of the PDPA.

Biography

Tahzib was born in 1933/34 Ghazni, Afghanistan. He completing his higher education in sharia at Kabul University.

Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court, he served in the provincial judicial administration. A classified report by the CIA suggest that he also served as the chief justice of Kunduz Province during the factional struggle between the Khalq and Parcham wings of the PDPA.

Following the reorganization of the Afghan judicial system in 1358 SH (1979–1980), the Presidency of the Supreme Court of the Ministry of Justice was re-established as an independent organ of the state under his leadership.

Following the Saur Revolution in April 1978, Tahzib became a member of the revolutionary government established by Nur Muhammad Taraki. Contemporary accounts suggest that he served as a minister responsible for Border and Tribal Affairs in the early PDPA cabinet.

In April 1980, he led the Afghan delegation to the International Conference for Peace and Security in Asia held in New Delhi as a member of the Central Committee of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan.

Tahzib remained politically associated with the Parcham faction. A chronology published in the Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan notes that he was removed from his position as chief justice in July 1990.

Following the Afghan Civil War in 1992, Tahzib was forced to leave Afghanistan and spent the last years of his life in London. He died in London in 2016.