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Hundreds of families displaced by the demolition drives along Karachi's Gujjar, Orangi and Mehmoodabad nullahs have condemned the Sindh government for abandoning them in dire living conditions nearly four years after their homes were bulldozed.
Speaking at a press conference organised by the Karachi Bachao Tehreek (KBT) at the Karachi Press Club, the victims accused provincial authorities of corruption, negligence, and complete failure to honour commitments of rehabilitation, as reported by Dawn. According to Dawn, the residents stated that they have been living in uncertainty since 2021, when the provincial government demolished their houses, claiming the action was necessary to clear encroachments. Elderly resident Muhammad Saleem, holding a bundle of official documents and property papers, said he had made "countless" visits to local government offices, assistant commissioners and deputy commissioners but received nothing despite repeated assurances. "I built my house with my life's savings earned abroad, and now I can't even afford to feed my family," he stated. Women and other victims echoed similar sentiments, urging the judiciary and civil society to intervene. They demanded that the government uphold the commitments made following the Supreme Court's ruling that ordered authorities to provide plots, construction funds, and rent cheques to the displaced families until they were resettled. KBT Convenor Khurram Ali stated that nearly 9,000 homes were torn down after the 2020 floods were wrongly blamed on informal settlements, rendering over 50,000 people homeless. He said the rent cheques stopped in December 2023 after the case went unheard in court for more than a year, and added that the provincial administration has delayed construction aid and plot allotment until 2027. "Officials demand bribes of up to PKR 200,000 to move files," he alleged, as cited by Dawn. The KBT and the affected families demanded immediate rent payments of PKR 30,000 per month, PKR 3 million in construction funds, and a transparent mechanism for complaint registration. They also called for an independent oversight committee to ensure fair rehabilitation. Warning of strong demonstrations, the victims declared they would begin protests outside the Chief Minister's House and the Supreme Court Registry if their demands were ignored within a week, as reported by Dawn. (ANI)
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