Taliban Employees Report Salary Delays Amid Winter Hardships

Several teachers and government employees state that the Taliban have not paid salaries for the month of Jadi as Dalu nears its end. They emphasize struggling with severe winter cold and poverty, claiming the group shows no attention to their situation. Teachers say their salaries are consistently delayed by two months or more, leading shopkeepers to refuse credit and preventing purchases of medicine for the ill.

Numerous government employees under Taliban control report repeated delays in salary disbursements, causing significant problems. They claim Taliban leaders and members have amassed millions of dollars over four years, built luxurious palaces, and engaged in multiple marriages with high costs, yet fail to pay teachers and officials on time.

Leila, a pseudonym for a teacher instructing girls below sixth grade, says she has received no stipend for two months and faces dire circumstances. She adds that winter cold, poverty, and deprivation have made life bitter, with delays eroding shopkeepers' trust and access to food on credit. "In the past, we received stipends at month's end. In winter, salaries should be paid earlier due to cold weather, need for firewood, empty homes and stomachs, and seasonal illnesses," she said. She accuses the Taliban of extracting mines, taxes, and tithes but not paying public servants, imposing hunger and miseries.

An employee from the Taliban-controlled Ministry of Education says delayed payments have left him indebted even for transport to work, borrowing monthly from friends. He notes salaries are often paid about 40 days late and hopes Jadi pay arrives by Dalu's end. Under the Republic, timely payments allowed savings of 1,000-2,000 afghanis monthly.

Nasrin, another teacher using a pseudonym, states salaries are never paid on time, with frequent heavy delays. Living in rented homes, teachers face severe issues. Her master's degree salary of 11,000 afghanis was reduced by 1,000 due to education level adjustments, with Taliban equalizing pay grades from 12th-pass to master's without increases for evaluations.

Teachers in the northeast confirm no payments yet and worry over rumors salaries may be withheld until Eid al-Fitr, hindering Ramadan preparations. Economic expert Mirshakib Mir says repeated delays foster corruption, reduce service efficiency, and weaken employee motivation, making timely living cost coverage impossible.