Karachi's evicted families await justice as Sindh government fails to deliver promised compensation

Karachi [Pakistan], November 8 (ANI): A large group of displaced residents from the Gujjar, Orangi and Mehmoodabad Nullahs gathered outside the Supreme Court's Karachi Registry, demanding rent arrears and housing compensation that the Sindh government had pledged following the demolition of their homes more than four years ago, as reported by Dawn.

According to Dawn, the demonstration led by the Karachi Bachao Tehreek (KBT) marked the fourth consecutive day of protests by families who lost their homes during the controversial anti-encroachment drives. The KBT said nearly 9,000 houses were demolished, displacing over 50,000 residents, yet compensation and resettlement have been hindered by "official negligence and rampant corruption."

The affected families have not received rent since December 2023, despite repeated court orders directing the Sindh government to continue payments. The KBT accused authorities of deliberately delaying the process, calling it a "grave injustice" to Karachi's working-class citizens.

The group maintained that thousands of homes were razed to make way for 25-foot-wide roads not included in Karachi's Master Plan, projects which, according to them, "benefited construction companies while leaving the poor in ruin."

The organisation further stated that over 2,000 verified complaints remain unresolved, with many families alleging that government officials and intermediaries demanded bribes to release compensation funds.

No inquiry, they claimed, has been conducted into these allegations, reflecting a deep-rooted culture of impunity. The KBT also criticised the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leadership, accusing it of celebrating political victories abroad while Karachi's poor continue to sleep on footpaths. Protesters, including elderly residents, widows, and schoolchildren, recounted their daily hardships and appealed for justice, as cited by Dawn.

KBT members condemned former Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed's decision that permitted the demolitions, calling it "anti-poor and one-sided." They questioned why no action was taken against officials of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and other land authorities if all leases were indeed invalid.

The KBT urged the Supreme Court to enforce earlier rulings guaranteeing each affected family an 80-square-yard plot, pending rent payments, and construction assistance. It warned that if their demands continue to be ignored, the protests would intensify into city-wide sit-ins and blockades, as reported by Dawn. (ANI)

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