July 12, 2002	Friday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1, 1423

KARACHI, July 11: The City Government, on Thursday, temporarily suspended the demolition operation of residential and commercial units on the Lyari riverbed in Pak Colony after riots broke out after a boy was killed by falling rubble.

The army was called out to maintain law and order in the troubled area as the police failed to control the situation. Army vans patrolled the area and brought the law and order situation under control.

The demolition operation of commercial and residential units was in progress to pave the way for the construction of the 16.5 kilometres-long Lyari Expressway along the Lyari River. The City Government, on Wednesday, demolished some 70-80 residential and commercial units near the Lovelane Bridge, connecting Garden to the Pak Colony (Old Golimar) area.

During the operation, a 13-year-old boy, later identified as Abdur Rehman, was collecting household items and belongings from his house when a wall collapsed on him, resulting in his instantaneous death on Wednesday evening. His father, Omar Daraz, had his paan shop demolished in the operation, which was the only source of income for his family. Omar lost his second son in the demolition operation as he had lost an elder son in an accident some years back.

The death of the boy was followed by widespread anger and resentment among the area people, who raised slogans against the City Government and the police.

The situation worsened when the area people tried to place the body of the boy on Lovelane Bridge. The police interfered and stopped the people from approaching the bridge. The people started pelting moving vehicles with stones and blocked the main road. As a result, traffic was also disturbed on Nishter Road near Zoological Garden.

Later in the night, the enraged people dispersed. The body of the boy was not shifted to any hospital for autopsy and he was buried late in the night.

As the demolition operation was about to resume on Thursday morning, the people resisted the operation and took to the streets. They again blocked vehicular traffic on Nisther Road, Lovelane Bridge and other link roads resulting in traffic jams.

The police reached the spot and attempted to disperse the people, who again pelted the police with stones. The police resorted to baton-charge the protesters who ran helter-skelter into the narrow streets.

Although vehicular traffic was allowed to resume, the hide-and-seek between protesters and the police continued till noon, when the army was finally called out to bring the situation under control.

After army vans entered the troubled area, the police disappeared from the scene and the law and order situation improved.

According to the area people, they were not served any evacuation notice by the department concerned and the demolition operation had started without any prior information to the residents. They claimed that announcements were made on-the-spot, directing the residents to vacate their houses immediately and they were not even allowed to collect their household items and belongings.

The people alleged that demolition work was also being carried out with discrimination as the structures of influentials or those who had greased the palms of those carrying out the demolition operation were not demolished.