Govt officials part of land mafia: Wahidi

HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): The governor on Thursday acknowledged a number of government officials were involved in land-grab incidents in western Herat province.

Syed Fazlullah Wahidi told a press conference here that 50 acres of government land had been reclaimed from illegal occupants in Herat City, the provincial capital.

However, some 25000 acres of land remained encroached by powerful individuals, he said, adding that about 2500 acres of state property had been reclaimed during the past five years.

The governor said 20 people had been arrested in connection with stealing state properties. Without naming anyone, Wahidi said an organised mafia was involved in the land-grab culture in Herat and Kabul.  Government officials were part of the mafia, he said.

Herat Attorney General Qazi Abdul Ghafar Zubair said some 20 dossiers detailing land-grab incidents, were pending with him. “I will try to address them swiftly,” he said, hinting at the existence of some government high-ups among the alleged land-grabbers.

sks/ma