Taliban declares disputed 250-jirib land in Mazar-i-Sharif state property
The Taliban administration has declared 250 jiribs of disputed land in Mazar-i-Sharif to be state property.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Justice said a special court handling disputed land cases in the northern zone ruled that the land, known as the “Haji Abdul Baqi and Haji Ismail Farm” in Mazar-i-Sharif, belongs to the state and ordered that it be handed over to government bodies.
According to the ministry, the area is located in the eighth district of Mazar-i-Sharif and covers about 250 jiribs. The land, the Taliban administration said, has been disputed for years between the government and local occupants.
The Justice Ministry said in a statement that the case was first reviewed by the commission preventing land seizures and then sent to the special court for a final decision. After examining ownership documents, consulting land registry offices and receiving information from government departments, the court determined that the land was state-owned and belonged to the government.
The Taliban’s Justice Ministry said the occupants are required to hand over the land to the government, and the formal registration process has begun in the relevant offices.
The decision comes as Taliban efforts to reclaim land in some areas have drawn objections from owners and residents. Critics say the Taliban’s special courts lack sufficient transparency and that many owners, especially those with customary documents, do not have an effective and fair opportunity to file complaints and present their evidence.
Over the past two years, the Taliban administration has repeatedly said that it has determined dozens of residential and agricultural areas in various provinces to be government property after judicial and religious review. Critics say the social and legal consequences of this process — including rising property disputes and concerns over residents’ uncertainty — remain unresolved.
