More than 950 illegal shops, markets and other structures have been demolished along Peshawar's Ring Road, the district administration has said, as its anti-encroachment drive passed a new milestone.

The operation is being carried out by the district administration in coordination with the Peshawar Development Authority and other departments, with heavy machinery deployed to clear state land and key thoroughfares. Clearance work has covered Jamil Chowk, Pir Zakori Flyover, Pishtakhara Chowk and Kabootar Chowk, along with adjoining areas of the Ring Road.

Officials say the drive aims to retrieve government property, clear public passageways, widen roads, relieve chronic traffic congestion and improve public amenities in the provincial capital. The administration has described the campaign as part of a wider effort to restore roads and improve infrastructure across the city.

The latest figure marks a sharp rise from the early stages of the campaign. More than 450 structures had been removed by 26 October, and the total had passed 560 by 27 October, according to earlier official updates. The count has now climbed beyond 950 as the operation has continued into November.

Deputy Commissioner Afaq Wazir has directed teams to sustain the operation without interruption and to take strict measures to prevent fresh encroachments on the land that has been recovered. The administration has said the campaign is being conducted strictly in the public interest and without discrimination.

The drive has also drawn legal scrutiny. On 3 November, the Peshawar High Court issued notices to the authorities over petitions challenging demolitions allegedly carried out without prior notice, and restrained further action against the petitioners. The administration has maintained that the operation serves the public interest and is aimed at protecting public land and improving civic infrastructure.

For commuters, the Ring Road is one of Peshawar's busiest routes, and unauthorised construction along it has long restricted road space and added to congestion. Officials say the recovered land will be protected against re-encroachment, although the long-term success of the campaign will depend on that enforcement holding once the heavy machinery moves on.

The Ring Road operation forms part of a wider anti-encroachment campaign under way across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the provincial administration has pressed ahead with the removal of unauthorised structures from government land. Provincial adviser Samar Haroon Bilour has said the drive will continue without favour, and the administration has insisted that no political or personal consideration will shield an encroachment. Traders and residents affected by the demolitions have raised concerns about their livelihoods and about prior notice, concerns that now sit before the Peshawar High Court alongside the administration's case that the land belongs to the state and the roads must be cleared.