KABUL — Nearly four years after the Taliban returned to power, retired government employees say they are still waiting for pensions that once sustained their families — and for some, their survival.
Dozens of retired civil servants in Kabul told local media they have not received any pension payments since the collapse of the previous government in August 2021. Many say they now live in extreme poverty, unable to afford food, medicine, or even basic necessities. Several said former colleagues have died in recent months, worn down by illness and financial despair.
Ahmad Shah, a former Interior Ministry employee now in his 70s, lives alone in a deteriorating alley in Kabul. “I spent my entire life serving this country,” he said, his voice strained. “Now I don’t have money for bread, let alone for medicine.”
Opening his refrigerator, he pointed to two water bottles and a small vial of medicine — a stark snapshot, he said, of both his health and his circumstances. “No one will even lend me money anymore,” he added.
Pension payments for retired public servants were suspended shortly after the Taliban seized power in 2021. While many of the government’s ministries have resumed basic operations under the Taliban, thousands of retired employees say their appeals for assistance have gone unanswered.
Ahmad Shah is just one of many retirees facing what some warn is an impending humanitarian crisis.
In another neighborhood of Kabul, Nasir Ahmad, a retired Ministry of Defense employee, poured green tea in a quiet, dimly lit room and recounted decades of service that took him from Kandahar to Ghazni. “I gave 35 years to this country,” he said. “Now my wife and children are suffering, and no one hears us.”
“If these pensions are not paid soon,” he warned, “we will be facing a human catastrophe.”
Another retiree, Abdul Saboor Azizi, said he underwent heart surgery recently but could no longer afford the medication needed for recovery. “I don’t even have enough for my family’s daily expenses,” he said. “We are being pushed to the edge.”
He appealed directly to the Taliban: “We respectfully ask the Islamic Emirate to address the plight of pensioners and resume payments.”
These stories reflect the broader hardship endured by thousands of Afghans who once worked for the state — men and women who served across ministries and provinces, now left with no safety net.
In December, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada issued a decree referring pension matters to a special court. But retirees say the move has done little to address their situation, and no tangible progress has been reported since.
For now, Afghanistan’s retired public servants continue to wait — in silence, in poverty, and in growing despair.
