A large group of retired government employees gathered outside the pension office in Kabul on Saturday, once again demanding that the Taliban pay their long-overdue pensions.
One protester criticised the group’s financial priorities, urging the Taliban to stop allocating millions of dollars to religious seminaries in Pakistan and instead focus on fulfilling their domestic obligations.
“For four years, we’ve been passed from one office to another with no real action,” one retiree said in an audio message sent to Afghanistan International. He claimed that a decree issued four months ago by Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, intended to resolve the pension crisis, has yet to yield any results.
“The poor retirees are dying off. Those who remain have no bread to eat,” he added, highlighting the severe impact of the Taliban’s inaction amid rising living costs and economic hardship.
Retirees also complained about soaring electricity prices, contrasting their financial struggles with reports that the Taliban are donating millions to foreign religious institutions. According to sources close to the Taliban leadership, Akhundzada has directed the group’s finance minister and central bank governor to allocate $9 million to Pakistani madrasas in the new fiscal year’s budget.
The reports come as the Taliban reportedly instruct all ministries to cut staffing levels by 12 per cent due to a budget shortfall, raising further questions about the group’s financial management.
Since seizing control of Kabul in August 2021, the Taliban have suspended monthly pension payments to retired civil servants. In December 2024, Akhundzada issued a directive calling for the creation of special courts to review pension cases and ensure payments in accordance with Sharia and the law.
Four months later, however, the process remains stalled, leaving thousands of retirees in financial limbo.
