RAHIM YAR KHAN: At least five people were injured on Tuesday when the thatched roof of an illegal shed collapsed during a joint anti-encroachment operation carried out by the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (Pera) and the Municipal Committee (MC) along the eastern bank of the Nowshera Minor Canal near Umar Block in Abbasia Town.
The operation was launched to remove encroachments on public land adjacent to the canal. According to local shopkeepers, the action was taken without the issuance of prior notices, a claim that has sparked controversy following the incident.
An affected shopkeeper, Yaseen, told Dawn that Pera and MC teams arrived at around 11am and directed shopkeepers to vacate a 20-foot area in front of their shops, where temporary sheds had been erected, by the evening. He alleged that some shopkeepers were also fined between Rs5,000 and Rs6,000 before the officials left the area.
However, Yaseen said that within two hours, the teams returned accompanied by heavy machinery and began demolishing the temporary structures. He claimed that although several shopkeepers were voluntarily removing their sheds, demolition work was started abruptly.
During the process, the roof of one shed reportedly collapsed while people were still inside, injuring five individuals. The injured were identified as Gulfam (18), Ali (20), Qammar Sultan (21), a carpenter, and another individual. All were initially shifted to the emergency ward of Sheikh Zayed Medical College Hospital (SZMCH).
Yaseen further alleged that due to pressure from Pera officials, hospital doctors refused to admit the injured and did not issue medico-legal certificates (MLCs). He said lawyers later intervened and demanded MLCs, but the request was denied, forcing the injured to seek treatment at a private health facility.
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Another shopkeeper, who requested anonymity, alleged that Pera officials had demanded bribes in exchange for sparing shops during the operation.
Responding to the allegations, SZMCH spokesperson and Deputy Medical Superintendent Rana Ilyas Ahmed said that some lawyers had filed an application late Tuesday night seeking to implicate the Rahim Yar Khan deputy commissioner in the incident. He claimed that as the application was deemed an attempt to “wrongly implicate” the officer, the initial request for MLCs was not entertained.
However, he added that later the same night, a medical board was constituted to examine the injured individuals and issue MLCs, with the final report expected within a couple of days.
The injured “denied treatment, MLCs” by SZMCH doctors. https://t.co/hurquFJQHh
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) January 15, 2026
Attempts to obtain the official stance of Pera were unsuccessful, as officials were reportedly in a meeting at the deputy commissioner’s office. The MC administrator, Additional Deputy Commissioner General Irfan Anwar, also did not respond to calls seeking comment.
The incident has raised questions about the conduct and safety protocols of anti-encroachment operations, particularly regarding advance notice, coordination, and the handling of injuries during such drives.
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