Over 1,200 vacant houses of Afghan evacuees demolished

KARACHI:

The operation to demolish houses in the Gulshan-e-Mimar Afghan settlement continued for the fifth day. So far, over 1200 houses have been bulldozed.

Regarding this, Director Anti-Encroachment Ameer Fazal Avesi and SHO Zone 1 Shayan Anjum stated that the Gulshan-e-Maymar Afghan refugee camp covers an area of 215 acres and comprises over 3,200 residential and commercial units. In line with the government's decision, the repatriation of Afghan refugees to their homeland is underway.

Avesi said that houses and buildings constructed on this land are being demolished to prevent illegal occupation by the land mafia and the land is being reclaimed by the state.

On Sunday, the fifth day of the Afghan camp demolition drive, the Anti-Encroachment Force Zone One, Malir Development Authority (MDA), and District Police participated. Per Avesi this land, worth billions of rupees, belongs to the Malir Development Authority. DSP Manghopir Masroor Ahmed Jatoi said that over 15,000 Afghan refugees were settled in the Afghan tent city, of whom more than 90 percent, approximately 14,000 Afghan refugees, have already returned to their homeland, Afghanistan. The remaining 800 to 1,000 Afghans will also gradually vacate their homes and return to their country. He added that the police are taking action against Afghans residing illegally in various areas, as per government policy. This operation will continue until the land is completely cleared.

Need to regularise

illegal settlements

Welcoming the demolition of illegal Afghan Basti on the M-9 Superhighway, Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Altaf Shakoor on Sunday demanded that all other illegal settlements in the megacity should either be regularised or demolished as per law.

He said the Afghan Basti had been a den of crimes and drug selling. It is a welcome move to get it demolished. He suggested that the land of the former Afghan Basti should be used to develop a modern park, as the megacity faces a huge lack of parks, gardens and green spaces.