In early September 2003, over 30 families in the Shirpur area of Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul were forcibly evicted from their homes and then their houses were destroyed in front of them. Shirpur is close to WA Khan, which is a luxury area so some ministers and high level authorities are trying to remove the houses of poor people from there and built their own buildings. Many of those evicted were badly injured during the operation as their flimsy houses crashed down around them. According to residents and witnesses, the chief of police of Kabul (Basir Salangi) himself led the operation.

Miloon Kothari, UN-appointed, independent rapporteur on housing rights said to reporters:

"Essentially what we have found there is that ministers and people at the highest level are involved in occupying land and in demolishing the homes of poor people.

A number of ministers... including the minister of defence are directly involved in this kind of occupation and dispossession of poor people, some of whom have been there for 25 to 30 years.

The very people who are responsible for maintaining law and order and responsible for ensuring that these people have their rights, appear to be the violators."

Following the exposure of the issue, Mr. Karzai removed Basir Salangi from his post and appointed another well-known criminal warlord called Gen. Baba Jan as chief of Kabul police!