1,258 Acres of Railways Land Encroached in Karachi
The scale of Karachi railway land encroachment is now clear: more than 1,258 acres is under occupation, a parliamentary committee was told. The National Assembly Standing Committee on Railways heard that the occupied land forms part of 19,594 acres held by Pakistan Railways in the Karachi division. The briefing also set out how much land has been taken back so far and what the ministry plans to do next.
The Ministry of Railways gave the figures to the committee at Parliament House. The committee met under the acting chairmanship of MNA Ramesh Lal. Members pressed the ministry to protect railway land, improve coordination with provincial and local administrations, and speed up retrieval operations.
Karachi railway land encroachment: the figures
The ministry told the committee that 1,258.28 acres of railway land in the Karachi division is under encroachment. That is about six per cent of the 19,594 acres of railway land in the division.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Railway land in Karachi division | 19,594 acres |
| Land under encroachment | 1,258.28 acres |
| Land retrieved in the past four years | 363.907 acres |
| Land cleared between July and October 2026 | 8.992 acres |
| Value of land cleared between July and October 2026 | Rs305.67 million |
The ministry said 363.907 acres had been retrieved over the past four years. Between July and October 2026, the department removed encroachments from about 8.992 acres, with an estimated value of Rs305.67 million. The ministry also shared a schedule for removing further encroachments in November. The Express Tribune reported the figures from the committee briefing.
What the ministry plans next
The committee stressed that railway land must be protected and that retrieval work should move faster. It asked the ministry to work more closely with provincial and local administrations, since encroachments often sit inside city limits where more than one authority is involved.
The November schedule shared with the committee sets the pace for the next round of removals. The ministry did not give a public breakdown of which sites will be cleared first. The committee’s direction was clear: keep the retrieval drive moving and report back on progress.
The figures point to a slow grind rather than a quick fix. At the recent pace, only a small share of the encroached land is cleared each year. That is why the committee wants tighter coordination and a faster tempo, instead of leaving the work to routine enforcement alone.
Part of a wider recovery drive
The Karachi figures sit inside a much larger national effort to take back railway land. NAB recovered railway land worth Rs91.234 billion in Islamabad earlier this month, handing 1,395 kanals and three marlas back to Pakistan Railways. That recovery covered revenue estates in the federal capital, including Bhulkar, Phulak, Lok and Loi Bher.
In October, NAB said it had recovered 235,622 kanals of Pakistan Railways land across the country, valued at Rs6.78 trillion. The bureau set up a special task force to safeguard and retrieve railway land, and it says the recovery followed coordinated and sustained work by that task force.
The Karachi committee briefing and the NAB recoveries point in the same direction. Railway land is a public asset, and both parliament and the accountability bureau are pressing for it to be taken back and protected. The test now is whether the November schedule in Karachi turns into cleared land on the ground.
Why the land matters for the railway
Encroached land is land the railway cannot use. It cannot be used for tracks, stations, yards or future expansion while it is occupied. That is why the committee treated protection of the land as the first priority, ahead of any new use.
The issue also matters for Karachi’s rail network. Pakistan Railways plans to add 36 locomotives by June 2027, and the railway is outsourcing services such as the Awam Express as it tries to run more trains with the fleet it has. Train services between Lahore and Faisalabad have also been restored, showing the railway is expanding operations where it can. Clear land gives that expansion room to grow, while occupied land holds it back.
Karachi’s transport plans also depend on land being available. The Karachi Port to Qayyumabad Expressway was approved to ease freight movement in the city, and freight corridors need clear routes through railway land. If the November removals go ahead as scheduled, the railway will have more room to plan around the port and the city’s freight needs.
Frequently asked questions
How much railway land in Karachi is encroached?
A total of 1,258.28 acres of railway land in the Karachi division is under encroachment, out of 19,594 acres held by Pakistan Railways in the division.
How much land has been retrieved so far?
The Ministry of Railways told the committee that 363.907 acres had been retrieved over the past four years. Between July and October 2026, encroachments were removed from about 8.992 acres, worth an estimated Rs305.67 million.
Who briefed the committee?
The Ministry of Railways briefed the National Assembly Standing Committee on Railways at Parliament House. The committee met under the acting chairmanship of MNA Ramesh Lal.
What happens next?
The ministry shared a schedule for removing further encroachments in November. The committee asked it to protect railway land, improve coordination with provincial and local administrations, and speed up retrieval operations.
Has railway land been recovered elsewhere in Pakistan?
Yes. NAB recovered railway land worth Rs91.234 billion in Islamabad, covering 1,395 kanals and three marlas. In October, NAB said it had recovered 235,622 kanals of Pakistan Railways land across the country, valued at Rs6.78 trillion.
