Balkh Province Landowners and Peasants Complain of Extensive Extortion by Land Commissioner
Kabul Times News 17-04-2026
Mazar-e-Sharif – Local sources in Balkh Province report that farmers and landowners in the province have been extremely frustrated with the performance of Qari Khan, known as Velayat Khan or Haji Agha, the Balkh Province Land Commissioner, over the past five years.
According to the sources, this official has systematically abused his official authority to extort money, illegally seize land, re-lease government and private land, and obstruct the normal administrative process of the people. The complainants say that these actions have caused serious disruption to agriculture, family livelihoods, and public trust in government agencies.
Examples of registered complaints (without mentioning the identities of the individuals):
• In the village of Taruki in Balkh district, lands owned by individuals have been illegally leased to another person.
• In Dago village of Balkh district, government pasture land used for local livestock has been illegally leased.
• In most villages of the province, government lands that were previously leased to individuals and the money was deposited in the bank have been leased again to other individuals.
• In Dehdadi district, private land has been leased to a private company.
• In Qaland village of Sholgara district, public pasture has been leased to another person to build residential houses on it.
• In villages of Dawlatabad district, landowners are being extorted daily under various pretexts.
• People’s papers and petitions are being blocked under various pretexts and are not being processed without payment.
• In Dawlatabad district, a person holding a court order has been asked to pay 200,000 Afghanis for the transfer of land.
• In the village of Hewad, the rent was paid to the bank but the land was leased to someone else.
The complainants emphasize that there are hundreds of other similar cases and that these actions are not only against Sharia and Islamic laws and principles, but also have become a major obstacle to the progress of agriculture and the peace of the people in Balkh province.
The landowners and farmers of Balkh province are calling on the high-ranking officials of the Islamic Emirate (especially the Supreme Leader, the Ministry of Urban Development and Land, and the officials of Balkh province) to:
• Immediately investigate such cases of corruption and extortion and remove the person or persons responsible from their positions.
• Provide opportunities for honest, committed, and service-oriented individuals to restore public trust in government agencies.
• Return illegally usurped or leased lands to their original owners or legal users.
These complaints indicate the urgent need for greater transparency in land management, prevention of abuse of administrative positions, and real support for farmers as the main pillar of the Afghan economy.
Note: This report is prepared solely based on information provided by local complainants and does not contain any personal or biased claims. The goal is to convey the voice of the people to the relevant authorities so that administrative justice is established.