RASC News Agency: Qari Bilal Hashimi, the former Taliban intelligence chief in Bamyan province, has been accused of forcibly seizing large swathes of land and grazing fields belonging to residents of Parwan. Originally from Lulanj village in Surkh Parsa district, Qari Bilal has allegedly used his influence and armed men to illegally confiscate land, intimidate locals, and impose territorial claims by force. The dispute primarily revolves around the Miangi Plain, a vast expanse of rain-fed agricultural land, communal property, and grazing fields, contested between the residents of Lulanj and Gandab villages. According to sources, the matter had been legally settled in 2019, when the previous government ruled in favor of Gandab’s residents. However, on Monday, March 17, Qari Bilal, accompanied by armed militants, allegedly stormed Gandab village, detained its elders, and forcibly transported them to Miangi Plain. There, he unilaterally redrew the territorial boundaries between Sheikh Ali and Surkh Parsa districts, asserting that the land belonged to the Sayyid community of Lulanj.
A source told RASC that Qari Bilal physically assaulted Gandab’s elders and coerced them at gunpoint into signing a document ceding ownership of Miangi Plain to Lulanj’s Sayyid community. He also threatened mass arrests and reprisals against anyone who defied his decree. When Gandab’s residents attempted to file a complaint with provincial authorities and the Taliban’s military court in Parwan, Qari Bilal reportedly set up armed checkpoints to block their access to the provincial center, preventing them from seeking legal recourse. Another source confirmed that, despite the case reaching the Taliban’s military court in Parwan, Qari Bilal brazenly ignored the court’s summons, stating defiantly that “only the governor of Kandahar has the authority to summon me.”
Locals accuse Qari Bilal of orchestrating systematic land grabs across Parwan while openly defying legal institutions. His actions, they argue, exemplify the unchecked power of Taliban warlords, raising concerns over the group’s ability or willingness to establish governance based on the rule of law.
