Karachi: The Pakistan Rangers Sindh and Karachi Police have launched a large-scale operation to demolish the 40-year-old Afghan Basti in Karachi.
According to official details, personnel from the Rangers, police, Malir Development Authority (MDA), and other relevant departments are taking part in the operation. Authorities have sealed all entry and exit points of the settlement to ensure law and order. Heavy contingents have been deployed on all routes leading to the area.
Irfan Baloch, DIG West, speaking to media, said the settlement previously housed nearly 30,000 Afghan nationals. They were evacuated in three phases. At present, around 2,000 residents remain in the locality. He added that several vacant houses were being illegally occupied. This situation prompted the latest clearance action.
According to Baloch, the operation’s supervising officer, the land will be fully vacated. It will later be handed over to the Malir Development Authority (MDA) once the demolition is complete.
Earlier, Pakistan’s federal government directed the immediate closure of all Afghan refugee camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These camps had operated for decades, providing shelter to refugees displaced by regional conflicts. Authorities confirmed that refugee camps in Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, and Mansehra have already been shut down. Additionally, those in Charsadda and Malakand are also closed.
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Federal officials have instructed the provincial government to take control of the vacated land for future development projects. Meanwhile, the Punjab government has launched the third phase of deporting illegal Afghan residents under the Illegal Foreigner Repatriation Plan (IFRP).
The coordinated national effort aims to ensure that Afghan nationals living without legal documentation return to their home country. Security experts describe the current phase as part of a comprehensive national policy. It aims to regulate migration, manage urban land use, and reinforce border and population control mechanisms.
