HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): The Afghanistan Independent Land Authority’s acting director for western Herat province on Wednesday claimed receiving death threats over his actions against land-grabbers.
Abdul Malik Katibi told a press conference here that despite retaking thousands of acres of land from their illegal usurpers last year; 32,000 acres of land remained usurped in all 15 districts of the province.
Katibi did not name land grabbers in Herat, but said they had the backing of the government and influential figures.
“We cannot deal with these people. If I have had enough power, I wouldn’t have let even a square meter of land to be usurped by them. These people have both power and money.”
He said the Herat land authority had referred the cases of land grabbers to judicial organs.
Katibi said he had received threats many times from land usurpers and he was recently threatened with elimination a week back by a land grabber.
He said he had no security guard: “I reported to local authorities that two men came to my home to kidnap me, but fortunately I wasn’t at home.”
Jilani Farhad, the Herat governor’s spokesman, said nothing about alleged death threats Katibi had received, but said the provincial government was decisive in combating land grabs.
“We assure you that the local government is more serious than ever in reclaiming usurped lands, though combating land usurpation has many challenges.”
sns/ma
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