TIRINKOT (Pajhwok): Hundreds of policemen in central Uruzgan province say they have not received their salaries for the last six months and threaten to quit the force over the non-payment.
According to local officials, 3,800 national and local policemen perform duty in Tirinkot, the provincial capital, and six districts of the province. More than 500 of these policemen complain they did not receive their salaries for the last six months.
A number of urban garrison policemen operating under the police headquarters told Pajhwok Afghan News that they were in serious trouble for being short of money.
Graan, one of the policemen, said they had several times asked the police chief and other officials to pay their salaries, but they always made excuses.
He said officials had told them they would borrow money and pay their salaries of one month and register them in the biometric system as formal policemen.
Graan said he had been in the police for the past 13 years but officials now wanted deceive him under the pretext of registering in the biometric system.
Fazal Rahim, another policeman in Uruzgan, said whenever they ask for their rights, they are accused of making trouble.
The policemen warned to leave their jobs if their salaries were not paid.
Besides formal police, more than 150 pro-government militiamen are working in police ranks, but they are not registered as police. They also complain they have not received their salaries for four months.
Walidad, a commander of the forces, told Pajhwok that two years ago when the Taliban launched a coordinated attack on Tirinkot, they were asked by the governor and security officials to assist in securing the area.
He said they helped the government and they were promised to be included in police ranks after the situation improved.
However, neither their salaries were paid nor they were recruited in the police, Walidad said.
He said most of his fighters had been killed and many others wounded or disabled in clashes with Taliban militants.
“Despite passing through all the legal procedures for receiving our salaries, but we are not paid for four months,” he added.
Walidad said salaries of hundreds of ghost (nonexistent) policemen were regularly paid every month and were pocketed by some specific individuals, but the salaries of real policemen were not paid.
Uruzgan provincial council members also said they had received complaints regarding non-payment of police salaries and they had shared the issue with police officials.
Abdul Karim Khadimzoy, secretary of the provincial council, said the salaries of hundreds of policemen were being taken by a few commanders.
The provincial council expressed concern policemen could quit their duties if their salaries were not paid and the province would again face with serious security problems.
Uruzgan police chief Brig. Gen. Mohammad Maruf Ahmadi, refused to talk to the media about the matter.
A large number of security forces in other parts of the country also faced with the same problem.
mds/ma
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