The Taliban’s Ministry of Justice has declared around 10,000 acres of land in Nahr Shahi district of northern Balkh province as government property, ordering people currently occupying the disputed land to hand it over to the authorities.
The ministry announced on Saturday, August 29, that a special Taliban court had ruled the land was “Emirati”, a term used by the Taliban to designate property belonging to their Islamic Emirate.
The disputed land is located in the Momenabad area of Nahr Shahi district. Following the court’s ruling, the Taliban ordered those present on the land to surrender it to the Commission for the Prevention of Land Grabbing and the Restitution of Seized Lands.
According to the Taliban Ministry of Justice, the case had initially been examined by the Commission for the Prevention of Land Grabbing before being referred to a special court under the Taliban’s legal framework.
The ministry claimed that the court reviewed documents submitted by the occupants and real estate offices, along with information obtained from relevant government departments, before concluding that the entire 10,000 acres belonged to the government.
However, the Taliban’s announcement provides no independent indication that the affected landowners were afforded meaningful due process, including an impartial judicial hearing, an opportunity to challenge the government’s claim, or access to an independent appeals mechanism.
The land ruling is part of a broader Taliban drive to identify and reclaim properties it describes as “usurped” across Afghanistan. Since returning to power, the Taliban have increasingly used commissions and special courts to investigate disputed land ownership and determine whether large tracts should be taken back by the state.
The process has repeatedly generated controversy, particularly among residents and people claiming ownership of disputed properties. Those affected have protested Taliban land decisions, while critics have accused the authorities of using land seizures and forced displacement to reshape local demographics and alter Afghanistan’s social fabric.
The Taliban, however, maintains that its land-reclamation campaign is based on documentary evidence and investigations conducted through designated commissions and special courts.
The latest decision in Balkh adds another major tract of land to the growing list of properties being brought under Taliban control, while questions remain over the transparency of the proceedings and the rights of those whose land has been declared “Emirati.”
