However, according to a profile by the Pajhwok Afghan News, President Hafizullah Amin ordered his return to Afghanistan.
[1] In 1980, his remaining family members were able to make their way to Pakistan, which allowed Karim and his father to follow them.
From Pakistan, he made his way to Saudi Arabia where he studied engineering, physics and Arabic at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.
The profile said he founded a radio station known as "The Voice of Afghanistan", which "advances the interests of independent, moderate Afghans from outside the country.".
[1] A week before the election, fellow candidate Mawlana Abdul Qadir İmami Ghori withdrew from the race and asked his supporters to vote for Karim instead.