District Administration on Thursday cancelled the operation to free the graveyard in Tehkal of encroachers after the intervention of the Afghan Consulate.
An action against the encroachers was planned for Thursday, but Afghan Consulate officials appealed the administration to delay the operation so that the Afghan refugees living in the houses at the graveyard would be shifted to other places.
The officials of the Afghan Consulate said because of three days of rain, the Afghan refugees could arrange homes for them where they could move.
Afghan Consulate informed the authorities concerned that around 2500 afghan citizens were residing in graveyard in 471 houses and they have no alternative place to go.
However, the Afghan consulate officials could not present any documents regarding the encroachers so that encroachers themselves appealed to the district administration to extend the date of operation by a month so that they could arrange alternate shelter for them.
But the administration gave seven days to Afghan refugees after the talks among Afghan consulate and Deputy Commissioner held and decided that the Afghan refugees would vacate the land and administration would initiate offensive against them after seven days. District administration also informed the Afghan encroachers that no further extension would be given to them.
The meeting was also called on between Afghan consulate and concerened authorities on February 12 to take out the possible solution of the problem. Afghan officials assured the administration that within one week; the refugees would be shifted and accommodated in Afghan Refugees Camp.
Its worth mentioning here that the Peshawar High Court had issued directives few days back to weed out all the encroachers living in graveyards as the district administration officials, Assistant Commissioner Peshawar Khwaja Sikandar Zeshan, Revenue Staff, PDA officials along with heavy machinery, demolish staff, police personnel, Magistrate Habib ur Rehman and all assistant commissioners reached the Tehkal graveyard to free the 64 canals land from encroachers.
44 encroachers arrested at Ashraf Road: Meanwhile 44 men were arrested and hundreds of cars including motorcycles were taken into custody after the district administration started operation against the law breakers again on Ashraf Abad Road on Thursday.
The Additional Commissioner Nasir Khan led the offensive against encroachers and took in possession around more than 100 vehicles and also arrested 44 locals on the spot.
Later on, the traders ensured the administration that they would themselves remove the encroachments. The administration also fined the different shopkeepers on the spot while four additional traffic personnel were deployed on Ashraf Abad Road to facilitate the people.
