Govt action renders families homeless
Residents in Hattar have expressed concerns after a recent operation against encroachments conducted by the Haripur district administration rendered them homeless.
Haripur Additional Assistant Commissioner Faraz Ahmed Qureshi led the operation, targeting encroachments on the property of a private company.
According to sources, the longstanding issue had persisted for over three decades.
The operation carried out with the use of heavy machinery and a police contingent, resulted in the demolition of numerous houses. However, many residents who had been living on the disputed land for years claim they were not informed in advance.
They asserted that they received no prior notifications or warnings from the district administration.
They highlighted that the operation had caused significant damage to their household valuables worth millions of rupees and had ruined their cornfields.
Several affected residents from Hattar, including Sher Alam, Iftekhar Ahmed, Jamal Shah, and others, lamented the administration's actions.
An affected individual said despite our efforts, including visits to the assistant commissioner's office in Haripur and filing appeals with the Supreme Court of Pakistan, we were not heard. “My phone was even taken during the operation."
Published in The Express Tribune, September 17th, 2023.