ZARANJ (Pajhwok): Some heirs of martyrs and people with disabilities in western Nimroz province complain economic hardships have made their lives miserable and ask the government to address their problems.
The disabled people complain their monthly stipends have been reduced while the heirs of martyrs say they have not received their stipends since a year.
Nadia Barakzai, a widow who is the only breadwinner of her six-member family, said her husband was working in security forces of the previous government and he was killed in a fight with the insurgents seven years ago.
She said after the death of her spouse, the government had been paying her a monthly stipend in the past and she also worked as tailor to feed her children.
But she has not received the monthly stipend since the collapse of the previous regime and she has been struggling with many difficulties in feeding her family.
“Due to extreme poverty and hunger, I married off my two daughters by the age of 16 and 14,” she said.
Mah Gul Noorzai is another heir of a martyr who is suffering from similar economic problems.
Mah Gul’s son was a policeman in the former government and was killed in an IED blast.
Her son left behind two sons and her widowed daughter-in-law married another man and she has to raise her grandsons. “The former government was paying me a monthly salary of my slain son, but after the regime change, the salary was stopped and I have to lead a miserable life then”, Mah Gul added.
She asked the current acting government to resume paying her the monthly salary, “I am an old woman, I am not capable to work in the houses of other people, the only option I have is the salary of my slain son which can help save us from hunger”, she said.
But the disabled people complain their monthly salaries have been decreased instead of being increased.
Samad Rahmati, who lost one of his legs in a landmine blast 23 years ago, said the salary cut forced him to work. He sells water to feed his seven-member family.
A perturbed Rahmati said after the political change in the country, his salary was decreased from 5,000 afs to 3,000 afs which created economic problems for him. He said: “I am forced to sell water in the streets of Nimroz to meet the needs of my family”.
He urged the government to re-increase the stipends of people with disabilities.
Qari Abdul Salam Majzobi, the head of the Martyrs and Disabled Affairs Department, without offering more details said, some martyrs’ heirs and disabled people were already paid their monthly grants while the remaining will be paid as well.
“Currently, 2,032 people with disabilities are registered with our department. They include 115 military veterans, 1,917 civilians and the remaining 454 are childhood disables”, Majzobi said.
He added they registered 1,472 military disables this year and 60 to 70 more were being registered on a daily basis.
He reiterated that all the complaints of the heirs of martyrs and people with disabilities would be addressed.
aw/ma
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