PESHAWAR: Pakistan Railways carried out a vigorous anti-encroachment operation in the provincial capital for the second consecutive day on Thursday, reclaiming valuable commercial land worth Rs616 million from illegal occupants in Board Bazaar.

According to officials, the operation was conducted on the special directives of Divisional Superintendent (DS) Railways Peshawar Farman Ghani, under the supervision of Deputy Director Property and Land Shah Nawaz Khan. During the drive, the Railways land department staff demolished illegal constructions and retrieved around four kanals of government property.

A Railways spokesperson said that, following clear instructions from Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi, the anti-encroachment campaign was being carried out indiscriminately across the country, including Peshawar. “Encroachments or illegal occupation of Railways land will not be tolerated under any circumstances,” the official stated.

Mr Ghani said a zero tolerance policy had been adopted against the land mafia in the Peshawar division. He urged the public to refrain from encroaching upon Railways property, warning that strict legal action would be taken against the violators.

The Railways police personnel were deployed at the site to ensure security and prevent any untoward incident during the operation.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2025