Afghanistan Peace CampaignAmong the protesters were also retired women, their eyes filled with tears and their voices choked with grief and hardship.
Once considered the backbone of the state, Afghanistan’s retired civil servants now suffer in silence, overlooked and impoverished, their voices barely heard despite their growing desperation.
A number of retirees have again gathered, empty-handed but hopeful, in front of the pension office, saying they haven’t received their pensions in nearly four years and can no longer afford basic necessities of life.
Habibullah, a retiree, said: “Where should I go with my ten children? My children ask me for bread. Who should I turn to? Where should I go? Every time we go to the pension office, they say our case is in progress. It’s been four years.”
Another retiree, Abdul Hakim, said: “People come from all over the city. They can’t even afford ten afghani for transport, so they walk. Believe me, some of my friends are here right now.”
Mirwais, also retired, said: “The decree said it should be implemented in 24 hours, but it’s been five months and nothing has happened. Every day we are told maybe tomorrow.”
Among the protesters were also retired women, their eyes filled with tears and their voices choked with grief and hardship.
Hamira, a retired woman, said: “My children fight over a pencil. I don’t even have ten afghani to buy one. What can I do? No notebook, no pen.”
Sahra, another retired woman, said: “I am the sole breadwinner of my family. I have four children, each going to school. We have rent to pay, and I’m sick myself.”
Although retirees gather every Saturday to protest the unpaid pensions, the caretaker government has yet to provide any clear update on when these long-delayed payments will be made.