Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, attended the groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, May 19, for the “Lajورد” residential complex in Balkh Province in northern Afghanistan, alongside several senior Taliban officials. He symbolically launched the project by turning the first shovel of خاک. The project is being implemented with a $150 million private-sector investment, and the Taliban describe it as part of their urban development and investment attraction plans.
The construction of this residential complex begins while, over the past nearly five years, the Taliban have declared a number of private townships and residential lands as “state-owned under the Emirate.” According to observers, this has reduced public trust in housing investment and Afghanistan’s land market.
At the same time, the Taliban are encouraging domestic and foreign investors to participate in construction projects, while the ownership status of some lands and townships remains legally unclear an issue that has increased concerns about the future of investment in this sector.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said the Taliban government considers itself responsible for providing the necessary facilities and support for domestic and foreign investors involved in construction projects.
According to information released by the office of the Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, the “Lajورد” residential township will be built on 21 jeribs of land, covering around 42,000 square meters, and will include 1,448 residential units. The statement also claimed that approximately 7,000 job opportunities would be created during the construction process.
Project officials said the township will include four 27-story buildings and four 17-story buildings, though the exact completion date has not yet been announced.
Meanwhile, concerns remain regarding the legal status of property transactions in Afghanistan, especially given questions surrounding the country’s transparent and independent judicial and legal structures. Some critics view this as a factor contributing to uncertainty about investment security.
According to the Taliban Ministry of Justice, a number of townships in Kabul, Balkh Province, Maidan Wardak Province, Ghazni Province, and Nangarhar Province have been declared “Emirati” properties. In some areas, this has led to stagnation in property buying and selling, as many citizens consider the legal future of these properties uncertain.
Over the past decades in Afghanistan, repeated political changes and the collapse of governments have caused part of society to remain skeptical about the durability of political systems and the security of long-term investments an issue that continues to affect the country’s economic behavior and housing market.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
