Five years after the Taliban returned to power, former Afghan civil servants say they continue to face discrimination, humiliation, and arbitrary treatment in government institutions. According to multiple sources, experienced professionals who served under the former government are being dismissed on various pretexts and replaced by individuals loyal to the Taliban.
A former engineer at the Jalalabad Municipality, who requested anonymity for security reasons, is among those who lost their jobs. He says he worked as a civil engineer for 15 years after securing his position through a competitive recruitment process, but was dismissed nearly a year ago. According to him, Taliban officials accused him of shaving his beard, not wearing a cap, arguing with a Taliban official, and violating workplace regulations.
He says he was treated unjustly and that no authority has been willing to hear his complaint.
“I earned my engineering position through a competitive examination and based on my qualifications. But about a year ago, Taliban officials dismissed me for allegedly violating workplace rules and replaced me with a religious cleric from a madrasa.”
According to him, he is far from the only case. Many former government employees have been removed without clear justification, often on accusations of negligence or poor performance.
Another government employee, who remains in his position and also requested anonymity, says former civil servants are routinely referred to by Taliban officials as “Tommys” and “remnants of the Republic”—terms used to demean those who served under the previous government.
He says Taliban officials frequently tell staff during administrative meetings that governing is impossible in the presence of “Tommys” and “the remnants of the Republic,” and that government institutions must be purged of them.
“Former civil servants have grown exhausted of the Taliban’s insulting remarks and abusive behavior. We are often told in an angry tone that we are ‘children of the Republic,’ that we cannot be reformed, and that we should stay at home instead of working.”
According to sources familiar with the situation, Taliban officials in many government institutions refer to former employees as “their slaves” and routinely insult, reprimand, and threaten them. Tajik, Uzbek, and Hazara employees are reportedly subjected to particularly discriminatory treatment, including those whose educational qualifications exceed those of many Taliban officials.
According to R.M. Media’s findings, over the past several years the Taliban have dismissed thousands of former civil servants under a workforce reduction process, accusing them of holding redundant positions or lacking loyalty to the Taliban. Many of those positions have reportedly been filled by students from religious madrasas and individuals affiliated with the Taliban, replacing experienced and professionally qualified personnel.
