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Court orders temporary stop to demolition campaign in Pakistani capital

Tens of thousands, including Christians, face evictions
Court orders temporary stop to demolition campaign in Pakistani capital

In this July 31 photo, a Pakistani man shifts a steel girder from the debris of houses during an operation to demolish his poverty-stricken neighborhood in Islamabad. (Photo by Farooq Naeem/AFP)

Published: August 27, 2015 10:16 AM GMT
Updated: August 27, 2015 12:04 AM GMT

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ordered Islamabad authorities to stop their controversial demolitions targeting slums in the capital until the government can justify its development plans.

The court issued its order Aug. 26 following an initial hearing of a petition submitted by the Awami Workers Party, a left-wing political organization. The party had urged the court to stop Islamabad’s Capital Development Authority from continuing with large-scale demolitions of temporary mud settlements, known as katchi abadis — home to tens of thousands of often marginalized people, including Christians.

The Awami Workers Party had taken particular exception to the eviction of an Islamabad settlement known as I-11, which began July 30.

During the operation, police arrested more than 60 residents who were resisting the destruction of their homes, and charged them with terrorism-related offences.

Ammar Rashid, a co-petitioner in the case and an official with the Awami Workers Party in Islamabad, praised the court decision.

“[The] hearing was definitely heartening,” he said. “It provides some hope that the unlawfully evicted residents of I-11 will receive justice.”

The petition was filed after the development authority, backed by police and paramilitary rangers, demolished the capital’s largest informal settlement, leaving some 20,000 people homeless. In many cases, evictees had lived in these settlements for more than 30 years.

“Since they belong to the most vulnerable section of the society, they have become the soft target of the elite class," Farooq Tariq, general secretary of the Awami Workers Party, told ucanews.com

Even though the order to stop demolitions is temporary, it comes as welcome news for marginalized residents of the slum communities, including large numbers of minority Christians. On Aug. 25, Christians and other groups staged a joint protest against the demolitions.

“There is also massive relief for Christians who have been living here for more than three decades. They were upset by this unlawful demolition of informal settlements,” Tariq said.

Salim Michael, legal adviser to the National Commission for Justice and Peace of the bishops’ conference, welcomed the stay ordered by the Supreme Court. He said demolitions in the capital alone potentially threaten as many as 40,000 Christians.

“Most of these people were once brought to Islamabad as laborers and now they are being forcefully evicted from the capital city," he said.

In addition to the suspension of demolitions in the capital, the court has ordered Islamabad authorities to present more information on its informal settlements in a hearing scheduled for Aug. 31.

Despite the reprieve, the Islamabad evictions represent only one side of the picture. City authorities elsewhere in Pakistan have also taken a tough stance against slum communities.

In Faisalabad, south of Islamabad, authorities are planning further evictions in a marginalized community known as Tibba. Karachi officials, also, have said that 29,000 homes must be cleared to make way for city infrastructure repairs.

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