Khost Lakan tribe seeks end to land dispute with Kuchis

KHOST CITY (Pajhwok): Lakan tribesmen in southeastern Khost province have demanded of the government to intervene and resolve a fresh dispute between them and Kuchi tribe over a piece of land.

The Lakan tribesmen, who held a gathering in Lakano bazaar in Khost City, the provincial capital, on Sunday, claimed the Kuchi tribesmen had encroached on their 5000 acres of land and the nomads had taken positions in bunkers in some areas.

A tribal elder from the Lakan tribe, Ahmad Shah Khan, said they possessed legal documents of the land and they had presented the documents to the government as well.

But the government not only ignored their calls, it also sided with the Kuchi tribesmen, alleged the elder, who claimed armed Kuchis had taken positions to keep the land while the government was doing nothing.

Another elder of the tribe, Noor Jamaluddin, told reporters that the two tribes would enter a bloody encounter if the government did not intervene and find solution to the issue.

A member of the provincial council and resident of Lakano area of Khost City, Abdul Wali Wahidzai, accused the Khost governor of siding with the Kuchis in the dispute.

He said the governor came from the Kuchi tribe and was on the side of his tribe, but if anything misfortunate happened, the governor would be responsible for that.

However, deputy head of the Kuchi council, Awaz Khan Kuchi, told Pajhwok Afghan News that they owned the land since the time of Amir Abdur Rahman Khan (Emir of Afghanistan from 1880 to 1901) and rejected the claim that Kuchis had taken up guns and positions. Instead, he urged the Lakan tribe to resolve the issue through talks and avoid violence.

“Our tents are no more, we have no option but to at least build a shelter for ourselves. When other Khostis can build homes, why not the Kuchis, where they should go,” he said.

Khost Governor Hukam Khan Habibi rejected the accusation of siding with the Kuchis in the land dispute. He said he had invited Kuchi representatives in the parliament from Kabul to help resolve the dispute through jirgas or refer the issue to the judicial organs.

“We have tried in the past and are trying now to resolve the dispute. We have sent a delegation to closely assess the matter and prevent any untoward incident,” said the governor, who accused the insurgents of trying to create differences among tribes over land ownerships.

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