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Junbish accused of distributing govt land plots

Junbish accused of distributing govt land plots

author avatar
21 Oct 2013 - 18:32
Junbish accused of distributing govt land plots
author avatar
21 Oct 2013 - 18:32

KABUL, a claim vehemently rejected by a party leader.

Created last year, the commission for monitoring government activities in urban development a day earlier presented its report on land grab incidents across the country to the Wolesi Jirga speaker.

The report said 15831 individuals have illegally usurped lands measuring 1.2 million jirbs over the past three decades, particularly in recent past, for political and economic purposes.

The report said illegal land grabbers included government officials, tribal elders and regional commanders.

However, the report only exposed the names of 60 people, including four members of the Junbish party — Abdul Fatah, Sikandar, Hazrat Noor and Rahim Roziqul. These individuals have been allotted land plots measuring 14900 jirbs

The commission head, Zalmai Mujaddedi, told today’s session of the lower house that its report carried hundreds of evidence proving the Junbish party had given public land plots to people in northern provinces. “Can a party allot plots to people,” he asked.

He said there was no doubt public lands had been encroached across the country, but the Junbish party which ruled the north for a long time had distributed plots to people the way it wished. “No one can deny that the Junbish has ruthlessly occupied government lands in the north.”

But lawmaker Bashir Ahmad Tayanj, who is member of the Junbish party, called the allegations as politically motivated.

He said similar allegations against the party had been proven false in the past, denying the party had grabbed government land in any part of northern provinces.

He said the commission had no courage to name powerful land grabbers and had named ordinary farmers in its report.

“You have accused people of having grabbed lands in Sholgar and Nehr-i-Shahi areas. You must name those who have grabbed lands in big cities,” he asked the commission members.

Tayanj suggested another commission should be created to investigate findings collected by the existing panel, which he said had compiled its report without giving evidence in reference.

Ramazan Jumazada, who represents Kabul in the lower house, said the commission had no documents in support of its claims. He said a powerful mafia was active behind the commission’s activities to defame national personalities. “Some members have abandoned the commission and others have cut deals,” he alleged.

However, the commission’s deputy head Sher Wali Wardak said the panel had been appointed by the house and was not representing the government. “The names in the list are made available to us by the government,” he said.

Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi said the commission revealed the names of some land grabbers under pressure from lawmakers.

“The documents which have been presented to us are not final. We will debate on them in general sessions and will send them to the judicial organs for further investigation,” he ruled.

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