Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities said Saturday they had begun paying government employees who had not received a paycheck since the Islamists seized power and triggered a major financial crisis. Most government employees have yet to return to work and many had not been paid for months even before the Taliban captured power, especially rural workers. We will pay three months’ salaries,” Ahmad Wali Haqmal, spokesman for the finance ministry said at a press conference. Haqmal said salaries will be paid for the period starting August 23, adding that some government employees will be paid even for the month before the Taliban took power. Foreign donors led by the United States provided more than 75 per cent of the public expenditure under Afghanistan’s previous 20-year Washington-backed government.

Source: Punch November 21, 2021 05:45 UTC