Afghan writers and other literary figures on Saturday reacted to the death of famed Afghan writer, poet and former politician, Suleiman Layeq who passed away at the age of 90 on Friday in Germany.

The Afghan writers described Layeq as a unique figure of poetry and literature, not only in Afghanistan but also internationally.

“He was infected with the virus (COVID-19) in India and it complicated his treatment,” said Abdul Razaq Ahmadzai, Layeq’s sister-in-law.

“He was one of the moderate figures in the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan,” said Ahmad Saeedi, a political analyst in Kabul.

“His fame goes beyond Afghanistan, he was famous in the region, central Asia, India and Pakistan,” said Afrasiab Khattak, a former Pakistani senator and an analyst of regional affairs.

Brief biography:

Layaq's family said his death was due to wounds he received in an explosion in the Shash Darak area in downtown Kabul last year.

Layeq was born in Paktika province and graduated from the literature school at Kabul University in 1957.

He was a poet and writer in Pashto and Farsi. He held different posts in the Afghan media between 1957 to 1968.

Layeq was the founder of the Parcham newspaper in 1968.

He represented the moderate faction of the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) in the 1960s.

After the Soviet invasion in the 1980s, Layeq was a member of the Central Committee of the Parcham faction of the PDPA, was promoted to lead the Academy of Sciences, held a full membership in the Afghan Politburo, and also was the Minister of Nationalities and Tribal Affairs.

Recently, there were rumors on social media circulated for around a month that Layeq had died.

Some of his books are Chunghar, De Abaseen Spaiday, Kaygday, and Qeesai Aw Afsanai.

He also worked on a novel for 40 years that was never published.

He has left behind two sons and two daughters.