LOWER DIR: Lower Dir Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Arif Khan has directed the relevant officials to expedite the evacuation of refugee camps across the district.

He issued the directives during a visit to the Afghan refugee camp in Chakdara, accompanied by additional deputy commissioner Wajid Ali Khan, Adenzai assistant commissioner Salimullah Ayubi, district administrator Afghan refugees Humayun Khan and others.

The Chakdara camp currently hosts around 40,000 refugees, of whom 19,000 have voluntarily returned to Afghanistan. About 21,000 remain, with roughly 700 individuals returning daily voluntarily.

The deputy commissioner instructed the assistant commissioners to ensure that the evacuation of all Afghan refugee camps was completed in the coming days.

He emphasised that the return process was entirely voluntary, and no one would be forcibly evicted from the camps.

Under central government instructions, the provincial government has currently declared Afghan refugee camps as state property, and no individual or institution will be granted land from the camps without complete and lawful documentation.

Meanwhile, the district administration on Tuesday imposed Rs6,000 fine on profiteers, official figures showed.

According to the data released by the deputy commissioner’s office, officials also booked two shopkeepers during the campaign conducted in Timergara, Adenzai and Samarbagh subdivisions.

Officials said the inspections would continue to ensure compliance with government-notified prices and consumer protection laws.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2026