Eviction of slum dwellers: Fearing resistance, CDA shelves plan for third time

Some 7,995 individuals comprising 864 families are living in Afghan Basti.

ISLAMABAD:

Slum dwellers in Sector I-11 on Thursday forced the Capital Development Authority (CDA) officials to postpone their operation against the squatters at least for the day.

“Time has come to teach them a lesson.” This announcement in Pashto language, was aired from a mosque in the heart of Afghan Basti.

Hundreds of stick-wielding squatters, gathered to resist the Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) attempt to evict some 800 families from there. They warned to continue to resist all such attempts in future.

The announcement and fury of the mob compelled the over 150 personnel of the CDA’s enforcement and anti-encroachment directorates to call off the planned operation, “Aman, Salamti aur Behtari” (Peace, security and well-being) against the residents of one of the largest Katchi Abadis of the capital, at least for the day The team led by CDA Director Encroachment Nadeemul Haq along with bulldozers and tractors arrived at the settlement and threatened to conduct an operation but eventually retreated when faced with resistance by the residents, saying they would come back on Friday, blaming the administration and police for their lukewarm response.

This was the third time that such an attempt has been made over the past few weeks.

“We retreated. But it was not because of fear of resistance but a half-hearted response extended by the capital administration and police which put us in this embarrassing situation,” a senior officer of the Estate Wing of the authority said, requesting anonymity.



On February 4, the CDA chairman and member estate had written letters to Islamabad chief commissioner and police chief seeking assistance for the operation. However, neither police personnel nor magisterial cover were provided, forcing CDA to put off the operation, the official added.

When contacted, CDA spokesperson Ramzan Sajid confirmed that the CDA had written letters to the departments concerned. However, he declined to answer if the police and administration cold shouldered CDA’s repeated requests. “I am not aware if the police personnel rushed to the venue. But we are in contact with them,” Sajid said.

A survey conducted last month by the CDA in collaboration with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), revealed that some 7,995 individuals comprising 864 families are occupying Afghan Basti.

Out of 864 families, 47 are of Punjab origin, 114 registered Afghan families comprising 1,022 individuals, 27 non-registered Afghan families, 324 families are of Mohmand and Bajaur agencies origin, while 3,105 individuals making up 352 families are from the different cities of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan.

More than 350 individuals over the age of 18 years have national identity cards mentioning Rawalpindi as their permanent residence address.

As per survey, 121 families of Mardan, 92 families of Peshawar, 42 families of Charsadda, 40 families of Swabi, 23 families of Dir, 10 families of Nowshera are residing in Katchi Abadi I-11/1 under the guise of internally-displaced persons of troubled areas of K-P.

Other families are from Hangu, Lakki Marwat, Mansehra, Swat, Malakand, Kohistan, Baden, Chitral, Buner, Batagram, Loralai and Kohat.

According to the survey, a large chunk of illegal settlers are employees of millionaire wholesale dealers/merchants in the nearby fruit/vegetable market.

Under the operation, settlers belonging to FATA would be sent back to their native towns for which a rehabilitation package along with necessary logistics would be provided to them. Meanwhile, the Afghan families would be relocated to suburbs of the capital.

Activists of the Awami Workers Party (AWP) slammed the move despite the fact that they possess a stay order from the district courts until March 3.

Speaking on the occasion AWP leader Nazish Zahoor said that the CDA has completely turned a blind eye to the precious land and farmhouses being occupied and misused by the rich and powerful people in violation of the CDA’s by-laws and engage in all sorts of illegal practices while it refuses to acknowledge the fundamental right of the working masses to shelter.

Local organiser Fazal Shah said that the residents of the settlement have repeatedly approached CDA high-ups resettlement to an alternative place but the CDA has totally rejected their request despite the fact that a number of katchi abadis in the I-11 sector have previously been shifted to Alipur Farash.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8^th, 2013.