Afghanistan’s former finance minister is now an Uber driver, In the United States

            Khalid Payenda, Afghanistan’s Finance Minister in Kabul, now works as an Uber driver in Washington DC to support his family. In an interview with The Washington Post, he stated that he makes “a little more than $150 for six hours of work, not considering my commute”.

Afghanistan is presently in the grip of a financial and humanitarian catastrophe, with many countries unwilling to recognise the Taliban administration that ousted the US-backed regime. Payenda resigned as Finance Minister a week before the Taliban took control of Kabul owing to strained ties with Prime Minister Ashraf Ghani. He fled Afghanistan, fearing imprisonment by the government, and joined his family in the United States of America. He blames the United States of America for Afghanistan’s current state, claiming that troop withdrawals allowed the Taliban to gain control.