Afghanistan’s last finance minister Khalid Payenda now drives Uber in Washington DC

According to an article published in The Washington Post, Khalid Payenda, Afghanistan's former Finance Minister, now makes a living as an Uber driver in Washington.

Khalid Payenda, who resigned as the finance minister days before Kabul fell to the Taliban, is now driving an Uber in Washington DC to support his family.

Even months after the terrible fall of Afghanistan, Payenda stated he bears responsibility for the quick downfall of the democratically elected government with his fellow Afghans.


The last finance minister of the Ashraf Ghani government, in an interview with the Washington Post, said he is grateful for the gigs that he has found as it helps him to provide for his family of wife and four children. Payenda also expressed gratitude towards the work he has been getting and said, “I feel incredibly grateful for it. It means I don’t have to be desperate.”

Payenda in the interview also said that he holds the Americans responsible for the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. He highlighted that the US betrayed its commitment to democracy and human rights after making Afghanistan a centerpiece of post-9/11 policy.

“Maybe there were good intentions initially but the United States probably didn’t mean this,” Payenda said.

The Taliban last August took control of Afghanistan after President Joe Biden ended the 20-year military mission in Afghanistan.