Over 1,200 Afghanistani Refugee Homes Demolished in Karachi

DID Press: The demolition of an Afghanistani refugee settlement in Pakistan’s southern port of Karachi city has entered its fifth day, as local officials confirmed the destruction of over 1,200 residential and commercial structures.

Pakistani Authorities say the operation is part of the government’s campaign to repatriate undocumented migrants and reclaim state-owned land.

According to The Nation newspaper, the demolitions began five days ago in the Manghopir district, where the settlement — established in 1984 and spanning about 215 hectares — had housed thousands of Afghanistani refugees for four decades.

Police officials said over 90 percent of residents have already left, voluntarily or under pressure, and the remaining 800 to 1,000 are expected to depart soon.

Human rights organizations have condemned the campaign as “inhumane and discriminatory,” noting that many families received little or no warning before bulldozers razed their homes.

The evictions coincide with a new wave of forced returns of Afghanistani refugees from Pakistan, creating a growing humanitarian crisis along the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings.