SWAT: The deputy commissioner, Saleem Jan, said on Thursday that the district administration had carried out an anti-encroachment drive along the banks of River Swat in Babuzai tehsil, following the directives of the Peshawar High Court and the provincial government.

According to a statement issued from the Swat DC’s office, the operation was conducted in compliance with the court’s ruling in writ petition No. 4316-P/2025, as well as instructions issued by the chief secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The high court had categorically ordered that all illegal constructions and encroachments along rivers and waterways be demolished without exception, even if lower courts had issued temporary stay orders.

“All district officials, including DCs, ACs and district police officers, were directed to ensure strict implementation of the order without fear, pressure or external influence,” the statement said.

It further stated that the chief secretary had also directed the administration of all the districts of the province to accelerate anti-encroachment campaigns in order to restore rivers and water channels to their original state and protect lives and property from floods in the future.

“The recent operation targeted land located in Sangota, Babuzai tehsil, recorded in the 1985-86 revenue documents as part of River Swat. As per village records and customary law, the land is deemed indivisible and cannot be subjected to partition proceedings in any court,” it said.

“The land has historically been used for cultivation on a collective basis, not for private ownership or construction, and is considered public property,” the statement added.

Officials clarified that references made to recent land settlements were based on ‘girdawari’ records, which do not alter the legal status of the land as river property.

The district administration emphasised that the unchecked and illegal constructions on the riverbed had aggravated destruction during the recent floods. It said removal of such encroachments was essential to safeguard lives and property and to prevent future disasters.

The administration appealed to the public to extend full cooperation to law-enforcement agencies so that River Swat could be cleared of illegal structures and restored to its original shape for public benefit.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2025