Ghor Women Affairs Deptt land-grab case being probed

FIROZKOH (Pajhwok): The government has appointed a delegation to closely follow the land-grabbing issue of the Women Affairs Department of western Ghor province after being revealed by Pajhwok Afghan News about a month ago.

According to a Pajhwok report on October 26, MasumaAnwari, former director of the Women Affairs Department of Ghor, has grabbed 625 square metres of the department’s land and has built a house on it.

After the report, the Ministry of Women Affairs appointed two officers of the ministry to investigate the allegation.

A copy of the letter from the ministry received by Pajhwok states that the ministry has appointed two officials in charge of the ministry’s properties and financial affairs to investigate the case.

Five other local officials belonging to the governor’s house, Ghor municipality, departments of martyrs and disabled people, justice and urban development and land would help the two individuals in their investigation, it added.

The letter asked provincial officials to cooperate with the delegation in identifying the land belonging to the Women Affairs Department and the land belonging to former women affairs director of the province in accordance with the law.

Halima Parestesh, current women affairs director of Ghor, told Pajhwok that the seven-member delegation has started their investigation into the case.

However, she criticized the composition of the delegation and said a representative of her department should also have been part of the team.

She said choosing officials from provincial organs was the job of Ghor governor but the governor had told the department that the team had been appointed by the central government.

On the other hand, Mohammad Arif Qazizada, Ghor mayor, said that no representative from his office was chosen for the team despite the fact the issue belonged to them.

“We have not been contacted on this issue… we have the real estate director and engineers, land grabbing cases in planned and unplanned areas of Ghor should be the work of our teams,” he said.

He said Sayed Rahmat Rahmani, in charge of third urban district of Ghor, who had been mentioned in the letter, was not on duty.

However, some officials, who wished to go unnamed, said that the team from Kabul to Ghor was currently spending their time in a guesthouse of the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) in Firozkoh city.

The source said ARCS head, who is nephew of Masuma Anwari, was the main accused in the land grabbing case.

Halima Parestesh confirmed that the delegation was staying in ARCS guesthouse.

Meanwhile, Arif Abir, Ghor governor’s spokesman, said that the investigative delegation was comprised of representatives from provincial prosecutor’s office, intelligence headquarters, municipality and justice department.

“The head of the delegation has traveled back to Kabul but other members are present, whenever he returns, the investigation will start,” he said.

He said that the team’s members were staying in ARCS guesthouse as there was no other proper place.

About the statements of Ghor Women Affairs Director on absence of her office’s representative in the team, he said that people should not spread negative thinking and the delegation should complete its responsibility first.

He said that the case would be seriously investigated and if needed, a second delegation would be tasked for the job.

Pajhwok tried to contact Sharifullah Khesraw, a financial and administrative auditor and member of the delegation for his comment on the issue, but failed.

Mds/ma

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