Afghan civil servants face bleak Eid after salaries delayed

New Straits Times

3 days ago

ABDUL Saboor usually treats his children to new clothes for the Eid al-Adha holiday but like many Afghan public sector workers, he is scraping by this year awaiting a delayed salary.
The Taliban government has faced recurring difficulties paying civil servants since returning to power in 2021, leaving families grappling with financial uncertainty in one of the world's poorest countries.
"We bought only cookies and dried fruits for Eid," said Saboor, which he said would be shared with visiting friends.
One of the biggest holidays in the Muslim calendar, Eid al-Adha – which begins on Saturday – is celebrated with the sacrifice of an animal shared among family, neighbours and the needy to honour Ibrahim's, or Abraham's, willingness to sacrifice his son, before God offered a sheep instead.
The 45-year-old, who works for the Parwan provincial government's rural development department, was relieved to cash in two months' salary last week, but he put the money directly into paying off debts to shops he'd been relying on for credit.
"We couldn't go to some shopkeepers, we were embarrassed," he told AFP.
Afghanistan has faced major economic challenges since 2021 and is experiencing one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises, according to the United Nations.
"Delays in the payment of wages and salaries point to persistent liquidity constraints and broader challenges in ensuring timely government expenditures," the World Bank said in an April report.
Despite signs of recovery, the economic outlook remains "uncertain", the Bank said, with "growing fiscal pressures", a widening trade deficit and entrenched poverty.
Public sector workers faced a similar struggle in March, receiving some delayed pay ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
The finance ministry said this week it was in the process of paying all civil servants two months' worth of unpaid salaries, without explaining the delay or saying if future wages would be paid on time.
Since the start of June, "almost all of the departments have received their salaries" for two months, spokesman Ahmad Wali Haqmal told AFP on Tuesday.
The Taliban government has not made its recent budgets public – but experts say security spending has been prioritised at the expense of other departments.
On Wednesday morning, a central Kabul bank was packed with government employees shouting for their turn to collect salaries before the Eid holiday.
In Kandahar city, government-paid workers also lined up to collect their money, some voicing only gratitude for getting paid.
Hayatullah, a 21-year-old teacher in the Taliban heartland province, said he only received one-month's salary.
"We will try to make ends meet," he said, refusing to give his full name for fear of reprisal. "But we can't afford the Eid expenses."
Last year, the government slashed salaries of women staff who were forced to stay home since the Taliban seized power and prevented them from working in mixed offices.
Jobs have been cut from other departments in recent months, though government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in April said reducing staff was a "normal" process aimed at improving efficiency.
Mohammad, who works for a government office in Ghor and did not want to give his real name for fear of reprisal, said he had already spent his salary paying back loans to shopkeepers and had nothing left for Eid celebrations.
"We received the salaries for two months very late and we have faced a lot of problems during this period," he said.
"Eid is coming and when there is no money, it is really worrying – there are the children's expectations, family's expectations and Eid day expenses," said the 40-year-old who is the only breadwinner for 10 people.
"My family has to wait."