Non-payment of dues: Bahria Town contractors, employees stage protest, block highway

KARACHI: Thousands of vehicles were stuck in a bumper-to-bumper traffic jam on the Karachi’s main Super Highway for hours following a protest staged by scores of employees and contractors of the Bahria Town, Karachi over the non-payment of their payments on Saturday.

The protesters started gathering on the main Super Highway at around 10am and their numbers gradually turned into hundreds. The protesters had brought placards, banners and loud speakers causing a massive traffic jam was witnessed on both sides of the Superhighway between Karachi and Hyderabad. Hundreds of commuters, remained stuck in traffic for hours as the protesters had not only blocked the Super Highway but had also blocked the flow of traffic on the link road to the National Highway from Kathore, Gadap. Extra contingents of the law enforcers, including traffic police, were also called but they initially failed to open the highway for the stuck up vehicles. However, the protesters later ended their around eight-hour long protest after negotiations with the police.

A large number of residents, contractors, builders and employees were part of the protest. They carried placards written with “restore Bahria Town Karachi’s business, stop unemployment and do not make us homeless." The lights at the Bahria Town Karachi were turned off on Friday night due to the financial crisis the real estate developer is facing. While demanding restoration of electricity and accounts of Bahria Town, the protesters appealed to the higher authorities, including the chief justice and prime minister, to resolve the issue. “It is not an issue of only 5,000 employees who have not been paid salaries for the past six months and overtime for four months but a matter of the survival of their families,” the protesters said. The Bahria Town is facing a severe financial crisis as various contracts worth millions of rupees were cancelled after the contractors were not paid. Sources said more than 45, 000 employees are associated with the Bahria Town and all of them are facing delays in payment of salaries.

Though the protesters ended the protest on Friday but they also warned to block the highway again if their demands were not fulfilled. “We did not even have money to buy milk for our children,” says one of the employees, Ahsan Iftikhar. “Nobody can understand what problems we are facing due to stoppage of the salaries. The landlord is frequently warning to leave the house and the schools are threatening to cancel the admission of children.” Protesters said they are pinning their hopes on the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the prime minister who can only help in resolving the crisis.

Meanwhile, the police did not arrest a single protester for blocking the major artery connecting Karachi to the upcountry. The DIG Zone East, Amir Farooqi, said we are registering FIR against the protesters. The DIG also confirmed that the Gadap City SHO was suspended and the DSP was transferred for failure to reopen the Super Highway. On the other hand, a rally was also taken out from Tauheed Commercial in Defence Housing Authority in which the families and investors of the overseas Pakistanis also participated.