Taliban Accused of Land Seizure After Declaring Hazara Neighborhood Land Deeds Invalid

Residents of the Nowabad area in Ghazni province have accused the Taliban of unjustly declaring their property ownership documents invalid and ordering them to vacate their homes, Hasht e Subh Daily reported yesterday.

According to reports, the Taliban have instructed the Hazara residents of Nowabad, located in the 6th security district of Ghazni city, to submit their land ownership documents to the group. However, rather than reviewing the documents, the Taliban have issued eviction orders, claiming the area was “usurped” by the residents, the news agency noted.

Nowabad residents state they have legally purchased the land from nearby villagers and have the necessary documents to prove ownership. They describe the act as blatant oppression” as they now have to repay the Taliban.

According to some residents, the villagers around Nowabad had provided the residents with customary deeds based on their legal ownership. However, the Taliban have refused to acknowledge these documents, declaring the land as government-owned and demanding payment from the residents.

The Hazara community in Ghazni has condemned the Taliban’s actions as discriminatory, expressing fear of losing their homes. They claim that while the Taliban are targeting Hazara-populated areas, they have overlooked the encroachment of government land by nomadic Kuchis in the region.

This incident marks the latest in a series of forced relocations and property seizures targeting the Hazara minority by the Taliban since they regained control of Afghanistan in 2021.