December 11, 2006	Monday	Ziqa'ad 19, 1427

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MULTAN, Dec 10: One of the residents of the slum at Nizamabad, Khanewal, who suffered serious injuries in the police baton-charge and manhandling during an operation clean-up against illegal constructions on a state land, expired on Sunday.

The Khanewal district administration had launched an operation against illegal houses built on the proposed lawyers’ colony without any notice early on Thursday. Nazeer Muhammad, 35, suffered internal injuries when the police allegedly baton-charged and clubbed him. He was shifted to a relative’s house where he breathed his last.

To add insult to injury, the district administration on Sunday evening pasted a notice on the demolished houses, asking the people to vacate the place by 4am on Monday (today). It warned that if they failed to do so, the debris and the leftover belongings would be confiscated.

Meanwhile, the residents of more than 60 houses razed by the government have been spending sleepless nights on the rubble of their houses in extreme weather conditions.

The administration had taken the extreme step apparently in response to the lawyers’ alleged assault on Deputy District Officer (Revenue) Zia Ahmad Shami. On Wednesday last, some lawyers allegedly beat up Mr Shami and also ransacked his office over a row of possession of land for the lawyers’ colony.

The officials of the departments concerned started the operation around 3:00am the very next morning and flattened the houses of at least 60 families until the next evening without even allowing the people to put aside their goods and chattels.

The police also thrashed some of the residents — both men and women, Perveen Bibi, a widow, told this correspondent. Sobbing out her ordeal, she said the men in uniform beat up all the members of her family, including her mother-in-law who was lying on bed because of the injuries inflicted by the police. She said her daughter, who was also a widow and mother of four, was admitted to the Nishter Hospital due to hurts.

Perveen said she had been living here for the last 20 years and now she had no shelter to accommodate the 30 members of the family.

Zuhran Bibi, who suffered head injuries during the operation, said she was severely beaten up when she asked the team not to demolish the houses.

Another displaced resident, Muhammad Abdullah, an employee of the irrigation department, said he got Rs90,000 loan from his office for the construction of his house and he had been paying Rs2,500 every month as installments from his total Rs6,500 salary. “What can be more painful than the thought of losing one’s shelter and financial resources? he cried out.

Similar was the ordeal of Haji Muhammad Ismail who claimed that he worked for five years in Saudi Arabia and spent all his earning to build his house, but now he was shelterless once again. He said a delivery case of a woman of his house was being handled when the demolition squad launched the operation.

Muhammad Ameen lamented that the squad killed 600 quails by bulldozing his farm. He said the people were braving inclement weather for the last three days.

When contacted, Khanewal District Nazim Ahmad Yar Hiraj said he had no idea whether the houses were demolished without any notice or not, but what he was certain about was that the state land was in the illegal possession of the people.

Answering a question, he said it was the revenue department which ordered the operation. However, he said, an inquiry had been launched to investigate the matter.

Khanewal DPO Shahid Haneef, however, did not mince words saying the district nazim had called out the police for operation. He said it was basically a conflict between the lawyers and the revenue department and the police were not a party to it.

DCO Muhammad Khan Khichi was not available for comments.