Campaign for rights of slum dwellers to start after Eid

Speakers at a moot on Sunday said that it is the responsibility of the rulers to provide basic necessities of life and shelter to the poor and other marginalised sections of society, to take effective action against land grabbers and to protect millions of slum dwellers under the Katchi Abadis Act.

They were speaking at a conference organised by the Katchi Abadis and Goth Federation of Pakistan at a local hall in Karachi. They demanded that the government provide ownership rights to the people living in informal settlements, and establish affordable colonies with housing, health, education, employment and water facilities for low-income citizens.

They also announced that sit-ins and long marches will be held from Karachi to Islamabad after Eid for the rights of the millions of residents of informal settlements. They said that the role of Goths and Katchi Abadis had played a vital role in the construction and development of the country, adding that tens of thousands had been rendered homeless after the anti-encroachment operation, pushing them further into poverty.

Prominent among the speakers were Aam Log Ittehad head Justice (retd) Wajihuddin Ahmed, former MPA Mahfooz Yar Khan Advocate, Sahibzada Ahmad Imran Naqshbandi, religious scholar Allama Abdul Khaliq Faridi, journalist Altaf Mujahid and former UC chairman Sultan Mahmood Tajwani.