Former Afghanistani communication minister, Sayed Sadaat is now a delivery man in the eastern city of Leipzig, Germany.
Sayed had left office in 2018 and moved to Germany last September in the hope of a better future.
The former minister told Reuters that some people at home criticised his decision of taking such a job after having served in the government for two years. He said leaving office in 2018 has been one of his best decision.
He said; “I have nothing to feel guilty about,” the 49-year-old said, standing in his orange uniform next to his bike.
“I hope other politicians also follow the same path, working with the public rather than just hiding.”
Sadaat further revealed that it was difficult for him to find a job in Germany that matched his experience, despite his background.
Also, with degrees in IT and telecom, Sadaat had hoped to find work in a related field. But with no German, his chances were slim.
“The language is the most important part,” said Sadaat, who also holds British citizenship.
Every day he does four hours of German at a language school before starting a six-hour evening shift delivering meals for Lieferando, where he started this summer.
“The first few days were exciting but difficult,” he said, describing the challenge of learning to cycle in the city traffic.
“The more you go out and the more you see people, the more you learn,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sadaat story became viral following the chaos unfolding at home after the Taliban takeover.
Reuters reports that with the withdrawal of U.S. troops on the horizon, the number of Afghan asylum seekers in Germany has risen since the beginning of the year, jumping by more than 130%, data from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees showed.
