In the past three days, the Taliban have closed unlicensed money exchange offices in Herat province. According to the money exchangers, the Taliban have shut down more than a thousand exchange shops in the Khorasan, Shirdel, Karimyār, Zia, and Arya markets.
Money exchangers in Herat state that they have work permits from the Taliban’s municipal authority and have paid their taxes, but the delegation from Kabul insists that they must obtain licenses from the Central Bank of Afghanistan under the Taliban administration.
Several money exchangers argue that, given the low purchasing power of the people, they cannot afford the high costs of obtaining exchange licenses under the Taliban’s strict regulations. They say the Taliban have forced them to pay between 6 and 6.6 million Afghanis for the license, which is beyond their means.
Fareedullah, one of Herat’s money exchangers, says the Taliban’s new measure of closing exchange offices is taking away people’s jobs. According to him, this action will lead to thousands of families becoming unemployed. He emphasizes that instead of creating jobs, the Taliban are eliminating existing job opportunities. He adds, “I was busy with work and transactions in my shop when the Taliban suddenly came and demanded a license. When I presented the work permit I had from the municipality, they said it was worthless and that I needed a license from the Central Bank of Afghanistan.” Fareedullah says, “Since I didn’t have the license required by the Taliban, they expelled me from my shop and sealed it. Now, like me, two thousand other exchangers have had their businesses closed and their work taken away. Instead of cooperating with traders and creating job opportunities, the Taliban are taking away people’s livelihoods.”
Mohammad Arif, another money exchanger in Herat, also calls the Taliban’s decision unjust. He says, “They closed our shop and said we must pay 6 million Afghanis to the Central Bank of Afghanistan to get a license.” He adds, “This action by the Taliban is oppression. Where can we get 6 million Afghanis from? The Taliban don’t understand that their arrival has caused capital flight; business is terrible, and out of a hundred exchangers, not one can afford a 6 million Afghani license.”
Following the closure of more than a thousand exchange shops in Herat, the exchangers protested in front of the Taliban governor’s office. They demanded the reopening of their shops and urged the Taliban not to impose such strict limitations.
Faheem, one of the protesting money exchangers, told the Hasht-e Subh Daily, “You see the crowd of exchangers who have come here to meet the Taliban governor of Herat and tell him that what has been mandated by you is something no exchanger can afford. Our protest is for reopening our exchange offices and lifting this difficult condition of paying 6 million Afghanis for a license.”
Representatives of Herat’s money exchangers have met with the Taliban governor of Herat, the council of scholars, and the group’s Directorate for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. However, Mohajer Farahi, the Taliban’s deputy governor for Herat, stated that according to the supreme leader’s directive, all exchangers are obliged to obtain a license; otherwise, they are not allowed to operate. Mohajer Farahi emphasized that registered exchange offices help prevent the smuggling of money to neighboring countries. He insisted that obtaining a license from the Central Bank of Afghanistan is an effective way to prevent the smuggling of various currencies abroad, and the group is determined to implement this decision.
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
صرافان در هرات: بیکاری شدت یافته است، طالبان محدودیتها را بردارند | روزنامه ۸صبح
