KABUL: As the winter season descends upon Afghanistan, a growing number of civil servant retirees are calling on the Islamic Emirate to disburse their long-awaited retirement benefits.
These retirees, who have dedicated years of service to the government, are facing increasingly dire circumstances as the cold weather approaches.
One such retiree is Payenda, who served at the Ministry of Economy for a substantial portion of her life. She expressed her deep dissatisfaction with the current state of her life, struggling with harsh conditions in the lead-up to winter. I have a sick family member, the father of my children, who recently underwent heart surgery. We are scheduled to visit the doctor next Tuesday, but we have no funds to cover the expenses, Payenda lamented.
Zarifa, another retiree, echoed the sentiment, saying, I am here to receive my retirement pension. I need to pay our rent, and I have a family member who recently had surgery. How long must we keep pleading for our own rightful support?
Frustration is mounting among these retirees, as they turn to the Islamic Emirate for assistance. Abdul Khaliq, a retiree, raised a poignant question: Why are they withholding what is rightfully ours? Is it given for free, or is it too much to ask for what is rightfully ours? We are all citizens of this country.
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While many of these retirees have expressed their grievances peacefully, there is a palpable sense of desperation. Ahmad Omer, another retiree, expressed this sentiment, saying, We do not want to inconvenience people, but if necessary, we can block major roads, disrupt public venues, or even resort to more extreme actions. They can detain us, but we have nothing else to lose.
Despite the mounting frustration and pleas from retirees, the Islamic Emirate has remained silent on the issue. The only communication to date has been the acknowledgement that a plan for the payment of pensions to retired government workers has been sent for confirmation to the office of the Islamic Emirate’s leader.
The situation underscores the urgent need for the Islamic Emirate to address the concerns of these retirees, who have dedicated their lives to public service. Failure to act could result in escalating protests and further strain the already challenging circumstances in Afghanistan. The retirees’ cries for their rightful pensions remind us of the importance of social support and the role of the government in ensuring the well-being of its citizens, particularly those who have served the nation faithfully for many years.
