Government retirees protest in Kabul over not receiving pensions since 4 years

KABUL: A number of retired government employees from previous Afghan administrations gathered on Sunday in front of the Taliban’s General Pension Directorate in Kabul. The retirees, who have served the country for many years, expressed their frustration over not receiving any pensions for the past four years, despite repeated promises from Taliban officials. The protesters emphasized, “The Taliban keep pushing today’s promises to tomorrow and deliberately ignore our rightful entitlements.” They warned that their protests would continue until their pensions were paid. Thousands of retirees across Afghanistan are still waiting for the pensions that were deducted monthly from their salaries during their service and deposited into the government treasury. Despite a decree issued last year by Taliban leader Hebatullah Akhundzada to organize the pension payment process, this decree has yet to be implemented. Experts believe that the Taliban has effectively seized retirees’ pensions under the pretext of drafting a new law, allocating part of these funds to “the families of their suicide bombers.” The continuous promises from the Taliban are viewed by many as mere “deceptive tactics” to buy time and divert financial resources for political and military purposes. Before the Taliban takeover, over 160,000 retirees were receiving monthly pensions, but now thousands of retired families are left without any source of income amid economic hardship and rising prices.