Afghan Retirees Urge Support To Claim Pensions From Taliban
On Saturday, a large group of retired government workers protested outside the Taliban’s Pension Administration, demanding unpaid salaries.
On Saturday, a large group of retired government workers protested outside the Taliban’s Pension Administration, demanding unpaid salaries.
They appealed to Afghans to “stand with us to claim our rights from the Taliban” and urged the international community to pressure the Taliban to release owed pensions.
In a video clip sent to Afghanistan International, a retiree accused the Taliban of four years of broken promises, revealing he lacked bread during Eid al-Fitr and sold his carpet to survive.
Since seizing Kabul in August 2021, the Taliban halted pension payments, exacerbating economic hardship amid rising poverty, unemployment, and soaring prices for essentials.
Retirees say the absence of pensions has plunged their lives into severe difficulty. Three months ago, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada directed pension cases to special courts, but protesters claim this has only sown confusion without delivering results.
Abdul Kabir, the Taliban’s Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, met Mohammad Reza Bahrami, Iran’s South Asia Director General, to address Afghan refugees in Iran.
Kabir proposed a joint session with Iranian officials to negotiate their return, according to a Saturday statement from the Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees, which highlighted discussions on bilateral ties and repatriation.
Kabir noted frequent Iranian visits to Kabul as a sign of Tehran’s interest in friendly relations, urging Iran to allow Afghan refugees more time for voluntary return. He revealed plans for a mechanism to provide legal documents to Afghans whose residency in Iran has expired, ensuring lawful stays.
Bahrami invited Kabir to Tehran, suggesting a pre-visit roadmap to enhance progress on a mutual repatriation agreement.
Bahrami claimed 8 million Afghans reside in Iran, with 4 million lacking legal documents or overstaying permits. The Iranian Embassy in Kabul previously stated the Taliban agreed to repatriate undocumented migrants.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported over 1.2 million Afghans returned from Iran in 2024, with 67 percent forcibly deported. Nader Yarahmadi, head of Iran’s Migration Center, earlier said over 3 million Afghans were deported in the past three years.
On Friday, The Washington Examiner reported, citing US National Security Council (NSC) and State Department spokespeople, that the United States has no intention of reopening its Kabul embassy.
NSC spokesperson James Hewitt said no discussions are underway about the embassy’s status, while a State Department spokesperson added, “The US does not recognise any entity as Afghanistan’s government and has no plans to reopen its embassy.”
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid recently told Al Arabiya that the group had asked the US to relinquish control of the Afghan embassy in Washington and reopen its Kabul mission, awaiting a response. The NSC countered: “We’ve made no commitments on the Afghan Embassy in Washington, and no talks are ongoing about the US Embassy compound in Kabul.”
Last month, a US delegation—including Adam Boehler, Donald Trump’s hostage affairs envoy, and Zalmay Khalilzad, former Afghanistan envoy—visited Kabul, meeting Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. Some reports suggest they first travelled to Kandahar to confer with figures close to Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah.
The Taliban sought recognition as Afghanistan’s legitimate government during these talks and later released George Glezmann, a 66-year-old American tourist. Mujahid noted the US responded by lifting bounties on Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s Interior Minister, and two Haqqani Network members, calling it a positive step for relations.
The US closed its Kabul embassy in August 2021 after withdrawing from Afghanistan, with diplomats since operating from Qatar. CNN reported, citing US officials, that the Taliban is pushing to win favour with Trump, aiming for formal ties and a US political office.
However, sources told CNN the US still designates the Taliban as a terrorist group, a view echoed by Vice President J.D. Vance, who once labelled them among the world’s worst terrorist organisations.
Leaders of the European Union and Central Asia have jointly called for the establishment of an inclusive government in Afghanistan, grounded in respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The appeal came in a joint statement issued at the conclusion of the first EU–Central Asia summit, held on Friday, 4 April, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
The summit, hosted by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, brought together heads of state who underscored their shared commitment to Afghanistan’s development and expressed concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country.
In their statement, the leaders stressed the need for a secure, stable, and prosperous Afghanistan governed by inclusive systems that protect the rights of all citizens, including women, girls, ethnic and religious minorities. They also called on Afghanistan to honour its international obligations and live in peace with itself and its neighbours.
“We emphasised our strong commitment to see Afghanistan develop into a secure, stable and prosperous State with inclusive government and governance systems that respects the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all its citizens, including women, girls, persons belonging to ethnic and religious groups and minorities,” the statement read.
The EU and Central Asian leaders specifically urged full and equal access to education for women and girls in accordance with international standards, as well as their active participation in public and political life. The statement also called for the continuation of regular consultations between EU special representatives and their Central Asian counterparts on the situation in Afghanistan.
During the summit, President Mirziyoyev voiced particular concern over regional security threats emanating from Afghanistan and criticised what he described as the international community’s insufficient attention to the issue. He reaffirmed Uzbekistan’s readiness to engage in political consultations to promote Afghanistan’s peaceful development.
During the Eid al-Fitr holidays, Abdul Kabir, the Taliban’s Minister of Refugees, conducted meetings with Taliban officials and local elders under tight security at his office in Sapedar Palace.
Images released by the Taliban show his guards—armed with American-made weapons—remaining in close proximity, fingers on triggers throughout the meetings.
Even during Eid prayers at Sapedar Palace, which were attended by foreign diplomats, Kabir’s personal guards did not leave his side. On the first day of Eid, Abdul Haq Wasiq, the Taliban’s intelligence chief, visited Kabir. Photos of the meeting show Kabir’s guards positioned directly behind Wasiq, remaining in the room throughout the encounter.
On the second day of Eid, several Shia clerics visited the minister. The Ministry of Refugees published photos showing a heavily armed security presence around Kabir during the meeting, reinforcing his heightened security measures.
This increased security follows the assassination of Kabir’s predecessor, Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, who was killed in a suicide attack at the ministry’s headquarters last year. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. Haqqani, a senior figure in the Taliban, was known for carrying a weapon at all times.
Following Haqqani’s death, Abdul Kabir was removed from his former role as Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs and reassigned as acting Minister of Refugees. Since then, Kabir has refused to relocate to the ministry’s official headquarters, choosing instead to continue operating from the fortified Sapedar Palace.
Security analysts believe the assassination of Haqqani may have been facilitated from within Taliban ranks, pointing to increasing distrust and internal rivalries. Kabir’s visible reliance on armed protection, even within the heavily guarded Presidential Palace compound, signals rising fear and paranoia among senior Taliban officials.
Atta Mohammad Noor, former Balkh governor and a member of the National Resistance Council for Salvation of Afghanistan, said that Shah Wali Khan, a senior Jamiat-e Islami commander in Ghor province, was killed.
Noor claimed Khan was assassinated on 27 March in a conspiracy following his release from Taliban intelligence custody. The Taliban has not yet commented on the allegations.
On Friday, Noor posted images of Wali Khan on X, accusing the Taliban of widespread “crimes” since taking power, including targeted killings. He asserted: “In many instances, these killings aim at ethnic cleansing and political, religious, and local purges,” framing Wali Khan’s death as part of this Taliban policy.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has reported ongoing human rights abuses against former government officials and ex-members of Afghanistan’s defence and security forces, despite the Taliban’s 2021 general amnesty pledge.