Some Ghor disabled want their pensions paid

FEROZKOH (Pajhwok): Some disabled persons in western Ghor province on Sunday during a protest gathering demanded their pensions from the government, national and international orgnaisation.

Local officials acknowledged delay in the payment of pensions and added the problem happened due to the lack of funds.

Amirdad, 28, a disabled person who served in the military of the past government, said he lost his two legs during duty in Kapesa province and was the only bread earner of his family. He complained against the financial problems faced by his family.

“In the past two years, no one has paid attention to us, neither the government nor the institutions, winter has come, we have nothing to heat our house, we have no food and I can't work, our pensions have not been paid, I am facing a lot of problems,” he said.

Ziauddin, 34, is another disabled person from Ghor, who asked the government and relevant institutions to pay their pension and provide work opportunities for them.

“The purpose of our gathering is to ask the government to provide jobs for disabled people who have educational certificates and are able to work in government offices, so that we can work and earn money and work for our country,” he said.

Gul Mohammad Motawakel, head of the Disabled and Martyrs Department said: “Currently there is no budget, We proposed to the ministry and we hope that funds will be arranged and we will be able to release pensions to the disabled, we have distributed pensions to more than eight thousand civil and military disabled persons of IEA and the past regime, and we are trying to implement it for some of the remaining ones.”

He said efforts were on n coordination with other organizations to generate jobs for the disabled persons.

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