More than 7,500 acres of land declared state-owned in Paktika — Pajhwok

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced that more than 7,500 acres of land in Yusufkhail district of southeastern Paktika province have been declared state-owned following a ruling by a special court. In a statement, the ministry said the Special Court for State Land Grabbing Cases in the Central Zone reviewed documents and evidence related to 7,513.5 acres of land in Yusufkhail district and ruled that the entire area belongs to the government. According to the statement, the land is located seven kilometres from Mist village in Yusufkhail district. The case had earlier been reviewed by the Commission for Prevention of Land Grabbing and Restitution of Grabbed Lands. The ministry said that, in accordance with Article 17 of the Law on Prevention of Land Grabbing and Restitution of Grabbed Lands, the case was officially referred to the special court. After reviewing documents and evidence submitted by both the occupants and the commission, examining land registry records, and gathering information from relevant authorities, the court ruled that the entire 7,513.5 acres of land constituted highland (lalmi) state-owned land. Based on the court’s decision, the MoJ said the occupants are required to hand over the land to the Commission for Prevention of Land Grabbing and Restitution of Grabbed Lands.