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THE Supreme Court ruling allowing the demolition of houses along the Gujjar and Orangi nullahs has reinforced a number of civil society organizations’ views that Karachi’s planning and political decisions are governed by strong anti-poverty bias, including by the judiciary. First, it is almost impossible for low-income communities to access the judiciary, and if it were not for a few public spiritual lawyers, they would probably remain unrepresented. Even when they raise funds to hire lawyers, they are treated with indifference and hostility and suspicion by court staff. They are asked to attend hearings, which are often rescheduled without notice. Petitioners also complain that they often do not have access to the court to participate in the case.
The Supreme Court has also ordered the demolition of rented houses along the Nullahs because it believes these leases are false. It is difficult to understand how it knows this without a study. It is also pertinent to ask here whether it would also order the demolition of rented houses in middle-income or elite inventories without examining their rented status.
There are also different criteria for judgments related to the poor and those related to the rich. For example, Bahria Town was fined $ 460 billion. Rs, and the land illegally occupied by it was regulated at a fraction of its market value. No one associated with this huge land scam has been arrested or charged. Members of the police force and the civilian administration that forced landowners to hand over their land to Bahria Town, and against which the FIRs for murder have been registered, have been free for the past many years and the case against them is not taking place.
Justice avoids those whose homes have been demolished.
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Bani Gala residence was regulated at Rs6.66 per annum. Square meters, and the same was the Hyatt Regency violations of the Islamabad master plan. Meanwhile, demands from residents of katchi abadi for regulation of their homes in informal settlements have been consistently rejected.
The demolition along the Karachi nullahs is not only based on technical issues but is also political. The number of demolitions to take place along the Manzoor Colony nullah was 1,205. However, they have been reduced to 56 because the nine-meter roads that were to be built on both sides of them are no longer being built. According to the local people, this change has taken place because the local MPA is from the OPP and he had the ear of the provincial government.
The demolition along the Gujjar and Orangi nullahs is in PTI constituencies and residents claim PTI has not intervened on their behalf. The reason the number of houses to be demolished is so high on these nullahs is because nine meters of roads are being built on both sides of them. First of all, these roads are illegal because they are not part of any major plan for the area. The Supreme Court has ordered the demolition of settlements, but has not ordered to stop the construction of illegal roads. Residents argue with considerable logic that they are being built because Gujjar nullah connects the northern bypass to the Lyari highway, and this makes land on both sides of it the most important property that developers are eager to seize. so far has not taken place or even officially identified demolition of illegal construction of elite and government interventions on the city’s natural sewer system.
The Supreme Court has also not commented that the compensation to the victims is insufficient, which is Rs 15,000 per year. Month as rent for two years. This cannot give them a home, and after two years of living in insecurity and misery, they are likely to find a home along another nullah, thus adding homelessness in Karachi.
However, the Supreme Court has ordered the Sindh government to take appropriate steps to rehabilitate the affected population. But the time period for this or its nature is not defined. In the event of demolition of the circular railway in 2018, the Supreme Court had also ordered the administration to offer alternative housing to those affected within a year. However, three years have passed and no such action has been taken, nor has the Supreme Court required compliance with its rulings.
The PTI government wants to offer homeless people housing, but that is making more people homeless. It also stresses the importance of education, but over 30,000 students will no longer be able to go to school as a result of the demolition of Gujjar and Orangi nullahs.
Little wonder that Pakistan’s judicial system has been rated 120 out of 128 by the international world law program. Its reform and a change in its anti-poverty bias are necessary for a conflict-free Pakistan and should be treated as a priority.
The author is an architect.
www.arifhasan.org
Published in Dawn, June 20, 2021
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