27 housing societies have been approved according to the law, while 116 have been declared illegal and 14 remain under review in Peshawar
PESHAWAR
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has witnessed a sharp decline in cultivable agricultural land, dropping from 2.1 million hectares in 2017 to 1.7 million hectares in 2025, revealed the proceedings of a standing committee.
The KP Assembly Standing Committee on Agriculture, chaired by Abdul Salam Afridi, Afridi warned that the rapid loss of farmland, largely due to the expansion of illegal housing societies, poses a serious threat to the province’s food security and agricultural sustainability.
The forum called for stringent measures to halt the establishment of illegal housing societies on agricultural land, warning that continued encroachment could threaten the province’s food security.
The meeting was attended by members of the Provincial Assembly including Mian Sharafat Ali, Muhammad Nisar, Ikramullah, Fazal Elahi, Sher Ali Afridi, and Makhdoomzada Aftab Haider, along with secretaries of the Agriculture and Local Government Departments and other relevant officials.
The committee reviewed the implementation of decisions from previous meetings regarding illegal housing societies.
Officials informed the committee that in Peshawar, 27 housing societies have been approved according to the law, while 116 have been declared illegal and 14 remain under review.
In Mardan, 25 societies are legal, 62 illegal, and five pending. Kohat and Charsadda’s housing societies were also discussed, with authorities directed to take immediate action against illegal settlements.
