Editorial

It has all become standard fare. A katchi abadi becomes a victim of the state’s wrath -- for being an ‘illegal encroacher’ and hence a den of crime and terrorism, or worse still, for being ethnically ‘Afghan’ -- and there is hue and cry. There is live tv coverage, the matter makes it to the National Assembly or Senate, more so if they are in session, op-eds get written and the entire discussion boils down to state’s insufficiency in providing housing for the urban poor.

Thereafter, life resumes its normal course.

For some time now, the news about katchi abadis emerges from the capital. Last year, around March April, the CDA decided to evict and demolish about twelve ‘illegal’ katchi abadis that harboured ‘terrorists’, following a report that declared Islamabad as one of the most dangerous capitals in the world and two terrorist attacks in the city.

The residents of these abadis had then lodged long protests and sit-ins against the CDA and the interior ministry was forced to postpone its decision of eviction.

This time, in the case of Afghan Basti in I-11, there was a ‘lawful’ order by the court against the ‘illegal’ occupants and the settlement was razed in full view of cameras. In case there were any doubts in people’s minds, they were told it was indeed a basti where only the Afghans lived. A perception was created that here was the strong arm of the state at play and this might be an extension of Operation Zarb-e-Azb. Besides, illegal occupancy can not be condoned, can it?

But what civilised state and society do this to their poor -- evicting about 8000 of them and bulldoze what they used to call homes without providing them an alternative place to lodge. What latent violence does this single act contain! And then they lodged cases against 2000 residents and those who were protesting on their behalf on charges of terrorism.

The solution of this issue and others that concern the poor lies in class politics when, unfortunately, the mainstream political parties are all about politics of the middle and upper classes. The All Pakistan Kachi Abadi Alliance, the Awami Workers Party, the HRCP and other small organisations are doing their crucial bit and that is one reason the issue is under some kind of discussion.

Without a political mainstreaming of the issue, we will keep seeing such brutalities in the name of law or security or some such excuse.