RASC News Agency: In a recent reshuffling of their officials, the Taliban have appointed a nomad from the Pashtun tribe as the head of agriculture in Bamyan province to support nomadic lifestyles. Several sources in Bamyan report: “Following the appointment of Abdul Jabbar Khalid, a nomad from Maidan Wardak province, as the Taliban’s agriculture chief in Bamyan, tensions between nomads and villagers have escalated. He frequently invites nomads to his office, and it is unclear what decisions are being made behind closed doors.”
According to these sources, Khalid spends most of his time with nomads instead of addressing the issues faced by farmers in Bamyan. Another source in Bamyan, who requested anonymity, stated that since Khalid’s appointment, many Pashtuns have arrived in Bamyan, claiming to be nomads. The sources added that these individuals have shown locals a document they claim is an official decree granting pasture lands from the Shahidan area to Siah Darreh in Yakawlang District No. 2 to the nomads. However, they did not clarify the origin or date of this decree.
Previously, Mullah Gulabuddin Zabihullah served as the Taliban’s agriculture chief for Bamyan. According to some Taliban sources, “Zabihullah was transferred due to his resistance to the demands of the nomads.” Nomads, a branch of the Pashtun tribe, relocate seasonally and claim ownership of any land they temporarily inhabit. Unlike other ethnic groups, they are allowed to carry weapons, sanctioned by Pashtun rulers in Afghanistan, and they often use these weapons to enforce their demands.
