• Affectees say despite court orders, rent payments not been made since Dec 2023
• Allege govt officials demand bribe for issuing cheques, moving files ahead
• Plots pledged by govt years ago still not provided, they lament
• Argue construction cost calculated by govt insufficient to rebuild even one room
KARACHI: Victims of the demolition drives along the Gujjar, Orangi and Mehmoodabad nullahs have spoken out about the harsh and uncertain conditions they have been forced to live in since their homes were razed in 2021 and lamented that despite repeated promises by the authorities, no practical steps have been taken for their rehabilitation.
Speaking at a press conference organised by the Karachi Bachao Tehreek (KBT) at the Karachi Press Club on Saturday, the affectees and the KBT members accused the Sindh government and relevant authorities of “corruption and deliberate neglect” and having no intention of resettling the thousands of displaced families.
Muhamad Saleem, an elderly resident of the city, pointed towards the pile of property papers and official documents that he had been carrying with him. He said that he had made countless visits to the offices of assistant commissioners, the deputy commissioner, the commissioner as well as those of the local government officials. “But despite these visits and repeated assurances by the officials, I got nothing,” he said.
He shared that he had built his house, which was razed during the demolition drive along the Mehmoodabad nullah, with the money that he had earned from abroad after working hard for many years. “Now I’m struggling to meet the expenses of my family. For God’s sake, have some mercy on us,” he said with a trembling voice.
Other affected individuals, including women, narrated a similar ordeal and highlighted that they are living under an uncertain future for themselves and their children. They requested the provincial authorities, especially the judiciary, to take up the matter and provide them with what they had been promised.
Speaking on the occasion, Convenor KBT Khurram Ali shared the details of the issue. He said the urban flooding that struck Karachi in 2020 was “wrongly blamed on katchi abadis” (informal settlements), as a result of which, around 9,000 homes were demolished, leaving over 50,000 people homeless.
Then, after protests by the affected families, the Supreme Court announced that the affected families would be provided with plots and construction costs and that until their rehabilitation, every family would be given cheques for paying rent where they lived.
However, he said that the cheques were issued only until Dec 2023 and that too because the KBT lawyer had filed a contempt of court case in which the court had summoned the provincial authorities and found them guilty. But for the last year and a half, the case has not been heard and because of that the rent amount has not been released since then, he added.
Moreover, he said, the court had ordered that each family be allotted an 80 square yard plot and construction funds but the Sindh government is delaying implementation. “Only a small amount for construction was released earlier this year, which is not even enough to build one room,” he said, adding that plots are now promised only after 2027.
The court had also appointed Additional Commissioner II Zunira Jalil as a focal person to register complaints of the affected families. But after her transfer, which was done “deliberately”, thousands of verified complaints were dismissed without verification, he said. “If these complaints were false, why are no officers being held responsible for verifying them?” he asked.
He alleged that “corrupt officials and “party representatives” were demanding bribes in exchange for releasing construction money and rent cheques. “In Orangi Town, some groups demanded Rs200,000 from each family for their files to move. When the issue came to light, payments were stopped, and the so-called investigation only gave officials more time to extort money,” he claimed and said that no inquiry reports have been made public so far.
Demands
The KBT and the affectees demanded that the government immediately release Rs30,000 for each family per month as rent until resettlement, including all pending payments from the past months.
As for construction money, each affected family should be provided with Rs3 million so that they can rebuild their homes in line with current building costs. The over 2,000 dismissed complaints be registered again under a transparent process.
They further demanded that an independent and impartial committee, including civil society representatives, affected individuals and human rights organisations, be appointed to oversee the registration and resettlement process. The government must issue a clear and unchangeable schedule under which all plots are allotted within 90 days and alternative land is provided without delay.
Warning of protest
They warned that if their demands are not met within seven days, they will begin strong protests and sit-ins outside the CM House and the Supreme Court Registry in the city.
Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2025