Over 367,000 Acres of Pastureland Registered in Jawzjan Province
The Taliban’s Ministry of Justice has announced that the Land Occupation Prevention Commission has registered 367,573 acres of public pastureland in Jawzjan province.
According to the ministry’s statement, these areas are located in the center of Jawzjan province as well as in the districts of Khwaja Du Koh, Khanqah, Qoshtapeh, Aqcha, Feyzabad, and Darzab. The surveying and verification process of these lands was carried out by an appointed commission.
The source noted that of the total pastureland, 93.74%, equivalent to more than 344,000 acres, remains as pasture. Meanwhile, over 23,000 acres have lost their natural state and have been converted into rain-fed and irrigated agricultural lands, residential housing, or other uses.
The statement, citing Article 13 of the Law on Prevention of Land Occupation and Recovery of Occupied Lands, emphasizes that any encroachment on public pasturelands, their conversion to agricultural lands, construction of shelters, and other occupations of grazing lands are prohibited.
The Ministry of Justice added that surveying committees are also working in other provinces to assess pasturelands, and after the completion of the registration process, these areas will be entered into the land registry. However, in recent years, land occupation and the change of use of public pasturelands have remained a serious challenge in several provinces, and it is expected that the Taliban administration will provide a transparent and practical mechanism to prevent illegal occupations alongside announcing these figures.
