Pakistan: Karachi families stage protests over forced evictions

Islamabad [Pakistan], July 10 : The desperate residents in Karachi who saw quick and callous demolitions and forced evictions in the name of "clean-up operations" are reminding the authorities of their plight and their fundamental human right to a roof over their heads as monsoon clouds loom over Pakistan, according to Dawn.

Residents of Gujjar and Orangi Nullahs, Mujahid Colony, the Karachi Circular Railway, and other regions have staged protests over their situation and called on the government to give them resettlement urgently.

According to Dawn, thousands of affected people participated in the Ghar Bahali Rally, which was coordinated by the Karachi Bachao Tehreek, marching from the Arts Council of Pakistan to the Karachi Press Club on Sunday.

The protesters demanded rapid resettlement and rehabilitation. Affected people included women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

Roshan Ara of Orangi Town claimed that although her home was built on 120 square yards of ground that was leased to her, much of it had been razed after she was accused of trespassing on public property, Dawn reported.

"I live in one small back room of my place, which is all that is left," she lamented.

As a resident of Orangi Town, Nighat Fatima claimed that she had owned a 120 square yard home in Orangi Nullah, of which not a single block is left now.

"My family and I are without a home at all. She wailed, "We live by the roadside beneath the open sky," according to Dawn.

The gathering demanded rehabilitation for the impacted residents as well as an impartial committee to conduct it. Along with providing the affected parties with the third and fourth rent checks, it also requested providing them with the proper compensation, Dawn reported.

In order to maintain their social ties, economic possibilities, and children's education, it was also claimed that the affected individuals needed to be relocated within their own districts.