Afghanistan Peace Campaign
The Taliban have recently dismissed several former government employees who had continued working under the group’s administration and have ordered that no institution is permitted to hear their complaints. According to the dismissed employees, the majority belong to a specific ethnic group and were removed from their positions without any justification. They say Taliban-affiliated individuals or fighters have since been appointed in their place. At the same time, several current employees at the Taliban’s Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs say the group recently advertised 82 positions under the guise of recruiting qualified personnel, to push out former government staff, even though those roles are currently filled by experienced workers. According to them, this is one of the tactics being used to remove seasoned, long-serving employees and replace them with Taliban-linked appointees. An official letter from the Taliban regime, obtained by the Hasht-e Subh Daily, confirms that the group has instructed Taliban-controlled institutions not to process any complaints filed by dismissed employees.
Former government employees still working under the Taliban regime say the group has been systematically and deliberately removing them on various pretexts, replacing them with its own affiliates. They say they have been given no justification for their dismissals, and express deep concern about poverty and unemployment. They are simply told the decision was made “based on the administration’s discretion.”
One employee from the former government’s administrative office says he has worked at the institution for over a decade. “In the 2026 appointments, the Taliban dismissed more than 85 employees from the republican era, the majority of whom belong to a specific ethnic group, without any valid reason, and replaced them with their own people,” he said.
The same employee, who has also worked under the Taliban regime, says that in appointments made by the General Directorate of Administrative Affairs, every individual selected is from the Pashtun ethnic group, with most coming from Maidan Wardak province. He attributed this pattern to the fact that Sheikh Noorul Haq Anwar, the head of the directorate, hails from that province. He also claimed that more than 400 employees were dismissed the previous year under the pretext of staff reductions.
Another dismissed employee from the Taliban-controlled administrative office says his colleagues were let go without any explanation. “If it had been a genuine staff reduction, that would be one thing, but our positions still exist, and others have been appointed in our place. Everyone who was dismissed is Tajik. A formal letter about this arrived a week before we were removed,” he said.
Expressing frustration, the young employee added, “We had no absences and received outstanding evaluations, yet we are being dismissed for ethnic and regional reasons, and nobody listens. We have no choice but to be patient. Our attendance records, religious studies grades, and performance evaluations were all excellent.”
Meanwhile, several current employees at the Taliban’s Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs say that in the latest move, the minister ordered 82 filled positions to be re-advertised publicly, even though experienced, degree-holding employees currently occupy every one of them. The apparent goal, according to those employees, is to use the hiring process as a cover to dismiss former government staff and install Taliban-affiliated personnel in their place.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has published a job announcement stating that it has advertised 82 vacancies to attract qualified and specialized candidates. However, those whose positions are being advertised say the majority of them already have the necessary experience and qualifications for their roles, and that the move is a scheme to carry out a mass dismissal of former government employees.
One employee whose position has been advertised says the action has no clear rationale and no one is being held accountable. “They have advertised 82 positions, while in reality, 82 people are actively working in those roles, each with years of experience. Many were hired through open competition. These individuals are not expected to be rehired, and all indications suggest they will all be dismissed. Over 80 people will lose their jobs and face an uncertain future, even though every one of them is the sole breadwinner for their family,” he said.
Verbal Order from the Taliban Council of Ministers: Complaints of Dismissed Employees Must Not Be Processed
Dismissed employees say that after being removed from their posts, they were also stripped of the right to file complaints or lodge protests. According to them, the Taliban’s Council of Ministers has instructed all government institutions under its control not to act on any requests submitted by dismissed employees.
A letter obtained by the Hasht-e Subh Daily further confirms that the Taliban’s Administrative Affairs Office told Taliban-controlled government bodies that, based on a verbal order from the Council of Ministers, they are prohibited from processing complaints filed by dismissed employees.
The letter, sent by the Administrative Affairs Office of the Taliban’s Council of Ministers to institutions under the group’s control, explicitly bans any cooperation with or consideration of such requests. It states that the order was issued verbally by the Council of Ministers and that all Taliban-controlled government bodies are obligated to comply.
The letter states: “Those employees of the emirate’s ministries and offices who are designated as surplus staff or dismissed, not on charges of administrative or moral corruption, but at the discretion of ministry and office officials, cannot have their petitions or complaints regarding their dismissal processed by any official or emirate institution.”
This is not the first time such concerns have been raised. Sources had previously reported arbitrary treatment of and pressure on former government employees within Taliban-controlled institutions. The Hasht-e Subh Daily had earlier reported that Abdul Hakim Sharayi, the Taliban’s Minister of Justice, had abused his authority extensively over the past four years, dismissing more than 700 employees, seizing state and private assets, and creating positions and privileges for his relatives and close associates. The report also found that he had recently dismissed another 70 employees on charges of insufficient loyalty to the Taliban, confiscated their mobile phones, reviewed their social media activity, and replaced experienced professional staff with madrassa students.