Some shopkeepers in Mandawi in Kabul said that due to the increase in poverty, people are not able to buy their products.

They complain about the decline of their sales market and added that due to economic challenges, people buy less from this market.

“In the past, we had four or five lakh sales, but now we just have 40,000 or 50,000 Afghani sales,” said Abdul Latif, a shopkeeper.

“In the past, we work for 700 afghani daily and but now we just work for 200 or 250 Afghani,” said Mohammad Baqir, a shoemaker.

“If you compare it to two years ago, it is less than half, people come here to buy meat, but the rich ones can’t buy over 100 Afghani,” said Hasibullah, butcher.

Meanwhile, the Afghanistan Workers Union considers the fundamental cause of the increase in poverty is the country’s lack of available work, and all the investments leaving the country.

“In private and governmental sectors people lost their jobs and investment decreased, international organizations stopped their activities, and now people are facing hunger,” said Marof Qadiri, head of the Afghanistan Workers Union.

But the Islamic Emirate said that Afghanistan went through four decades of war and now the current government is triying to restore all economic resources.

“We had lots of social and economic challenges, it’s not because of the Islamic Emirate. Afghanistan was occupied, and there was a war for 43 years, and important economic sources have been destroyed,” said Zabiullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate.

Some traders and economists said political issues, especially the issue of non-recognition of the Islamic Emirate, are related to economic problems and increasing poverty.

“The Islamic Emirate has to work on a path that the international community and people of Afghanistan accept, and make a possible path for economic progress,” said Azrakhsh Hafizi, an economist.

Reports of international organizations, including the World Bank, showed that Afghanistan will not witness an economic recovery for the next two years, and the country's gross domestic product has decreased significantly.