We are not encroachers, say protesters

Claim they are flood victims and were given labour dept’s flats by Sindh govt

KARACHI: A large number of flood victims, who have occupied labour department apartments in Gulistan-e- Jauhar, staged a protest in front of Bilawal House against the chief minister’s decision to get 1,000 illegally-occupied flats vacated.

The people held placards and banners and demanded of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to revisit the decision and provide them alternative living spaces.

After the 2010 floods, these victims came to Karachi after the Sindh government announced the provision of shelter to them, given the large-scale devastation wrought by the floods. Soon after their arrival, these flood victims were asked to live in these flats until the government provides them permanent abodes. However, the government never provided them alternative accommodations and the people are not willing to leave the flats now.

The government has issued several warnings to the occupants of the apartments but nothing has been done regarding the alleged encroachment. Recently, CM Shah directed the divisional administration to get the flats vacated, which he said are being occupied illegally. “This is not acceptable,” the CM had said. “The flats meant for workers must be given to them.”

The occupants of the flats, however, claim that they would rather die than leave. “Our villages and standing crops were washed away,” said Khan Mohammad Soomro, a resident of Kashmore. “We had no plan to arrive in Karachi but [the] then chief minister, Qaim Ali Shah, and PPP leader Dr Zulfiqar Mirza  announced shelter for us, therefore, all these people reached here.” He denied that the land mafia or a political party was behind their occupation.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 23^rd, 2016.