KARACHI: The Karachi Development Authority (KDA) and the deputy commissioner for district West were attacked by unidentified individuals while conducting an anti-encroachment operation on government land in Surjani Town on Thursday.
A police contingent accompanied the anti-encroachment team, but the mob in the area resorted to aerial firing and threw stones at the government team, forcing them to halt the operation and leave the area.
Sources claim that the illegally occupied land in Surjani Town is worth billions of rupees.
According to reports, the officials failed to plan the operation, with the mob outnumbering the police contingent.
The attack by the mob forced the police to retreat and led to a stampede and the operation resulted in only a few illegal constructions being demolished, the source said.
The sources confirmed that this is not the first time that anti-encroachment officials have been attacked while carrying out their duties.
In November last year, a government official was killed while 4 others, including three policemen, sustained injuries due to firing and stone-throwing by alleged land grabbers during an anti-encroachment operation in Surjani Town.
The Sindh government has recently developed a comprehensive strategy to tackle land encroachment and illegal construction, which are significant causes of concern for the residents of Karachi.
