Pakistan Railways Reclaims Over 2,826 Acres of Encroached Land in Five Years, 174 Cases Registered, Senate Told

Syed Naveed Hussain

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Railways has reclaimed 2,826.09 acres of land across the country over the past five years as part of its ongoing crackdown on illegal encroachments, while 174 cases have been registered against individuals allegedly involved in occupying railway property.

Details of the anti-encroachment operations were presented in the Senate through a written reply submitted by the Minister for Railways. According to the official figures, Punjab recorded the highest recovery, with 1,235.71 acres of railway land retrieved from illegal occupation. In Sindh, 945.84 acres were reclaimed, followed by 424.08 acres in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 220.158 acres in Balochistan.

The written response stated that Pakistan Railways had adopted a zero-tolerance policy against illegal occupation of its land, with enforcement operations continuing across the country.

Railway officials, inspectors and the Railway Police have been assigned responsibilities for identifying encroachments and ensuring their removal, the response said.

The government further stated that 174 First Information Reports (FIRs) had been registered over the past five years against individuals accused of illegally occupying railway land.

Relevant authorities have also been directed to continue the anti-encroachment campaign and ensure the protection of land recovered during the operations.

The figures highlight the scale of the challenge facing Pakistan Railways in safeguarding its valuable land assets and preventing further illegal occupation across the country.