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| February 23, 2002 | Saturday | Zilhaj 10, 1422 |
Govt urged to resettle evicted slum dwellers
RAWALPINDI, Feb 22: The People’s Rights Movement on Friday demanded of the government to resettle those families who had been evicted from Kutcha Abadis in Rawalpindi and other cities.
The demand was made at a meeting attended by representatives of the Anjuman Mazarain Punjab, All Pakistan Alliance of Kutcha Abadis, and Hashtnagar Peasant Movement. Trade union leaders, lawyers, youths and students were also present on the occasion.
The meeting adopted a resolution, stating that, at present, hundreds of people were living in tents or under open sky, while the nation was celebrating Eid.
It said, in accordance with the promises of the federal government, it was essential that these families be provided proper shelters or abodes.
It was also demanded that the Pakistan Railways and other land-owning agencies should be stopped immediately from evicting the residents of slums settled on their lands, and proper resettlement plans be drawn up before demolishing homes.
The resolution said over 30 activists of Anjuman Mazarain were under arrest in Okara and Khanewal for asserting their right to the state-owned farm land which they had been tiling for last one century.
The families of these activists are fearful, and should be reassured by appropriate action by the government, it said.
The People’s Rights Movement also urged the government to take action against officials concerned in Okara who were responsible for the death of a local tenant, Mohammad Bashir.
The resolution also called for ending harassment of local tenants in Hashtanagar by the authorities, adding that they had done nothing else but to assert their right to the land they had been tilling for decades.
The People’s Rights Movement urged the government to take immediate action to address their concern and resolve their problems to win the trust of common man.
The meeting concluded with a promise by all constituent groups present to support one another’s struggles, and to ensure that the political voice of such groups was made louder and more effective.
All groups were urged to come together to articulate their concerns and make the state