Nangarhar protesters want their grabbed land returned

KABUL (Pajhwok): Some residents of eastern Nangarhar province staged a protest in capital Kabul yesterday, asking the authorities to help them wrest back their land from powerful individuals and illegal grabbers.

Around 100 people participated in the protest in front of the main gate of Administrative Affairs Department of the Presidential Palace. They blocked the road and did not allow traffic on Wednesday evening.

Sham Rahman Aziz, a resident of Ghochak village in Surkhrod district and one of the protesters, said in line with orders of King Zahir Shah and Amir Abdul Rahman Khan, 2,300 acres of land had been given to the residents of their village.

However, he said some part of the land had been grabbed in the past and around 75 acres of it was being grabbed recently by land mafia.

He warned: “If we don’t get our rights, we will not leave this place. The Ministry of Justice, Attorney General Office, and Legal Affairs Department had issued orders that this land belongs to the residents of the area, but no attention is paid to the orders.” Without naming anyone, he said some officials in the local government supported land grabbers.

Attallah Khogyani, the governor spokesperson, said the protesters should produce documents in support of their claim to the local government and to the Land Authority which will take action.

Nh/ma