MANSEHRA: The police have launched a crackdown on Afghan nationals and owners of houses rented out to them without fulfilling legal requirements.
District police officer Mohammad Azhar Khan told reporters on Saturday that the operation, led by SP Shahnawaz Khan, was launched in Mansehra city, Shinkiari, Saddar, Lorri Adda, and Oghi.
He said several Afghans and local house owners were rounded up during the crackdown.
The crackdown was carried out under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rented Buildings Security Ordinance, under which a number of FIRs were registered across the district.
Lorri Adda SHO Faisal Khalil led the operation in the city and its suburbs and lodged around 15 FIRs.
Owners also booked for renting out houses without paperwork
“The purpose of this operation is to arrest Afghan nationals who obtained rented houses after being evicted from refugee camps recently closed in the district and across the province,” the DPO said. He said several Afghan nationals involved in criminal activities had also illegally rented houses, which was a violation of the National Action Plan.
“This ongoing search-and-strike operation is equally targeting those house owners who rented out their premises to Afghans on high rents without completing legal paperwork,” Mr Khan said.
Separately, the tehsil municipal administration has demolished dozens of structures and buildings in the Mansehra city and its suburbs during the ongoing anti-encroachment operation, tehsil municipal officer Malik Farasat Awan said on Saturday.
Talking to reporters, he said the structures raised on the right-of-way were razed to ensure smooth traffic flow in the city and its suburbs.
“We first issued notices to the encroachers and then launched the operation to clear public land as traffic congestion troubled the business community, motorists and passersby,” Mr Awan said.
He added illegally built structures along Abbottabad, Kashmir, Shinkiari roads and in the Lari Adda area had been demolished.
The TMO said handcarts, roadside stalls and goods placed by the traders on footpaths and outside shops were also removed. He expressed concern over residents setting garbage heaps on fire, saying such a practice not only polluted the environment but also posed a hazard to nearby houses.
“We have imposed a ban on such fires, and anyone violating the order will be arrested,” the TMO warned.
ILLEGAL MINING: Oghi traders on Saturday urged the government to curb ‘illegal’ mining in the tehsil, saying the practice had dried up water resources and damaged roads due to transportation of heavy rocks.
A group of traders led by Saiful Rehman told reporters that ‘illegal’ extraction of granite and other stones was rapidly degrading environment and contributing to a rise in respiratory infections in the region.
“We are not against lawful mining as it provides employment and supports economic activity, but illegal operations are destroying local infrastructure,” Mr Rehman said.
Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2025