Taliban have delayed paying salaries to civil servants for nearly two months, two sources familiar with the matter told Amu TV, compounding financial strain on households as winter sets in and living costs rise.
The sources said salaries for the solar months of Qaws and Jadi (November and December) remain unpaid, leaving thousands of public employees struggling to cover basic expenses amid higher food prices and rising healthcare costs.
The Taliban’s finance ministry has denied any disruption. On Dec. 27, ministry spokesman Abdul Qayum Nasir dismissed reports of delayed payments as “rumours” and said salaries would be paid the following week, in remarks aired by Taliban-run national television.
However, three civil servants at separate government institutions said their offices had already submitted payroll and financial documentation to the finance ministry, yet payments had not been released.
Salary delays are not unprecedented under Taliban rule. In June, their authorities approved payment of civil servants’ wages for the months of Hamal and Sawr (February and March) after a three-month delay. At the time, sources said salary expenditures in Kabul totalled 118 million afghanis, compared with about 226 million afghanis in Kandahar, highlighting sharp regional disparities.
Civil servants say the latest delay has intensified economic hardship. Several employees said that while their wages are modest, timely payment is essential to meeting basic needs such as rent, heating and food.
Afghanistan’s economy has remained fragile since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, with widespread poverty, high unemployment and limited public revenues.
