The ‘basti’ problem

It's time for federal and provincial governments to stop passing the buck as the basti problem is not going to go away

Virtually all squatter settlements, in any town, city or province are illegal constructions or encroachments on land owned by people other than those who live in them. The people who live in these dwellings, roughly constructed and with few if any civic amenities, are often refugees or otherwise displaced people, or simply economic migrants who come to urban areas in search of a livelihood and then set up an informal living space. They are the pool of cheap labour that is accessible and convenient and the growth of such areas goes unchecked for years, sometimes generations. Such is the case with the clearance of the illegal slums in Sector I-11 in Islamabad, an operation that remains ongoing.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) razed around 500 houses on July 31 in the area known as Afghan Basti and plans to continue until all the houses are destroyed, enabling the land to be returned to its rightful owners. This is not the first time the Afghan Basti has been flattened, and unless the 400 plot-holders move quickly to secure their land, it will not be the last. Those living in the makeshift houses had been warned of the impending operation despite which some put up resistance, although by August 1, this had mostly dissipated as residents salvaged what they could from their homes and moved it away to be the basis of yet another temporary life. Where the now-homeless residents of Afghan Basti go is not a matter that the CDA appears to have spent a lot of time considering. There is no plan to rehouse them and most will find space in other informal settlements around the capital, thereby decanting the problem to a different location rather than actually solving the problem. For those of Afghan origin, many are now second or even third generation residents of Pakistan, with little motivation to move back to their native land. For others, there are no jobs in their home areas. It is time for federal and provincial governments to stop passing the buck, because the basti problem is not going to go away.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 3^rd,  2015.

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