Civil society activists demand restoration of demolished shops

Roughly 14,719 shops have been demolished so far — 1,700 in Empress Market, 296 in Lunda Bazaar

KARACHI: Arif Hasan, a senior architect and town planner, on Friday demanded the government to tender an apology to the people of Karachi for destroying their source of livelihood in the name of an anti-encroachment drive. He called for a rehabilitation plan to be prepared for the evictees, not by the government, but by a committee of experts and people-friendly organisations.

Speaking at a joint press conference with civil society organisations at Karachi Press Club, Hasan said that the past governments have failed to plan sufficiently for urban areas and were unable to provide basic facilities to the people, so people got their facilities on their own.



"If the government does not tender an apology, we will not forgive it," he said, claiming that the anti-encroachment operation is illegal.

Hasan said that the underprivileged were not provided shelters so katchi abadis [slums] emerged, marketing places for the underprivileged were not planned so hawkers emerged and no bus terminals were constructed so bus stops emerged on the roads.

"All the affected shop keepers be restored at the same places and they may be compensated by the government," he said.

During the operation, roughly 14,719 shops have been demolished so far. The number of shops razed in Empress Market is 1,700, and 296 shops from Lunda Market have been demolished.

According to Hasan, the informal sector provides employment to about two million people, including hawkers and small shopkeepers, and contributes to 30% to 40% of Pakistan's economy. He added that a city's economy cannot run without the informal sector. He termed the anti-encroachment operation illegal because many of the shops had been leased out and have legal titles. "We demand the government to tell us the actual objective of this operation," he said. In a similar vein, Anis Haroon, a member of the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), said that she is taking up the cause of those affected by the anti-encroachment operation along Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) track. Those people had been allowed to live on that land in connivance with land grabbers and had paid money for their abodes in the katchi abadis, she said.

Haroon reiterated that this operation is contrary to the constitution and the law. "We will help them to the final conclusion," she added. "We appeal to the Supreme Court to not allow such injustice against the people," she said, adding that this operation may lead to unrest in society.



Advocate Abira Ashfaq added that it is the right of hawkers if they have been running a business for the past 20 to 25 years. She gave the examples of countries like India and Cambodia where rights of hawkers are protected and regularised. "We are with all those who had 99-year lease and removed, but we are also with the hawker women, who are sitting outside to sell dry fruits," said Ashfaq.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) Joint Director Zulfiqar Shah said that the anti-encroachment drive has affected only low-income people in the city. This may cause law and order problem, he warned.

Representatives of those affected also spoke on the occasion and called for the government to provide compensation. The affected representatives included Rasheed Kakar, Ibrahim, Hakeem Shah, Seeta and others.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8^th, 2018.