Fighting back: Katchi abadi residents take stand against ‘anti-poor’ regime

City management threatened with massive protests, road blockades till demands met.

ISLAMABAD:

Hundreds of slum dwellers from across Islamabad rallied against the forced eviction drive recently initiated by the city management. During the past week, at least three predominantly-Pashtun katchi abadis have been razed.

Over 2,000 katchi abadi residents gathered in front of the National Press Club under the aegis of All-Pakistan Alliance for Katchi Abadis to protest against what they termed a “grave violation of fundamental rights by the capital’s civic agency” on the directions of the “anti-poor” incumbent regime.

Demographically comprising of Christians, Muslims and Pasthuns, men, women and children from 24 katchi abadis chanted slogans against the authorities, demanding that they immediately call off the unannounced ongoing-drive. If not, they threatened to hold massive rallies across the capital, blockading the city’s main arteries.

Addressing the protesters, former federal minister and minority rights activist J Salik said Pakistan’s rulers have been playing a game of cat-and-mouse with katchi abadi residents for decades now, using them instrumentally as voting constituencies and menial labour, and then ruthlessly bulldozing their homes without providing any compensation or a resettlement plans.

If these authorities continue in their pursuit of evicting residents from katchi abadis, thousands of people would be left homeless, said Salik.

“If things keep worsening, the residents of these slums will voluntarily offer to be arrested. Going to jail seems to be the only sure way to secure housing,” he added.

He urged the government to formulate a coherent policy for the rehabilitation, upgradation and resettlement of slum dwellers.

Awami Workers Party Punjab President Aasim Sajjad said it is unacceptable that democratic norms apply merely to the rich, not to the poor. Residents of Islamabad’s katchi abadis have been protesting peacefully for over two months so as to make their voices heard, but there has been no respite from operations, harassment and the anti-poor propaganda strewn all over the media.

He pointed out that the leadership of our country is ready to hold negotiations with militants who have been killing innocent people for many years, yet they blatantly refuse to acknowledge the rights of katchi abadi dwellers, whose only crime is their inability to afford housing.

A number of representatives of katchi abadi dwellers also spoke, all of them emphasising the unity between Christians and Muslims, Punjabis and Pashtuns residing in these slums. In this spirit, it was duly mentioned that even though the CDA is currently targeting katchi abadis in the H and I series of sectors, which mostly comprise of Pashtun residents, the struggle from their front is a collective one, and protests will only be called off once the legitimate rights of all of Islamabad’s katchi abadi dwellers are acknowledged.

CDA Spokesperson Asim Khichi said holding protests is a fundamental right, but it will not hinder the authority from continuing the drive to retrieve encroached land. He said that action against illegal settlements was taken on the directives of the Islamabad High Court and that the CDA has a clear-cut policy regarding katchi abadis.

“The CDA recognises some 10 katchi abadis in Islamabad. The actions will only be directed towards illegal settlements and other unrecognised slum areas,” he clarified.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th, 2014.