December 26, 2007	Wednesday	Zilhaj 15, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Dec 25: The All-Pakistan Alliance for kachchi abadis has said it will boycott the forthcoming election unless changes are made in the basic law giving first-class citizen status to the inhabitants of the slums.

In a statement here on Tuesday, president of the alliance, Zahid Anjum said that during election, kachchi abadis dwellers became a favourite target for the ruling class because they represented a large proportion of the urban population but when elections were over, they were left to fend for themselves.

He vowed that the slums dwellers would not be taken for a ride in the upcoming election and that they would only cast their votes when the political parties committed themselves to meet all of their demands.

Mr Anjum pointed out that hundreds of thousands of Christians living in kachchi abadis were subjected to a social stigma that they only fulfilled the function of cleaning urban areas. He pointed out that the urban planning paradigm could not be transformed until the structure of the state was dramatically overhauled.

The Christian community leader said that the forthcoming election was being held under an illegitimate military regime and would simply reinforce the existing system, which protected the interests of the elite and discriminated against the poor.—Our Reporter