ISLAMABAD: An official of CDA who is not authorized to speak on the record said that two major operations against illegal katchi abadis were conducted in the past but both were halted in their tracks when the use of force led to deaths.

“In 1992 CDA held an operation against encroachments in Bani Gala. The operation was led by then SSP Pervaiz Rathore and it resulted in a couple of people being killed and a dozen injured,” he said.

“Scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, who was then heading Pakistan’s nuclear programme, was a resident of Bani Gala and he was one reason the operation was stopped,” he said.

Undoubtedly, the other rich and powerful residents of bani Gala who had built their houses illegally also used their influence to bring the operation to an end.

The next decade passed quietly.

“In July 2002, CDA held an operation in Sri Saral, sector D-12, against illegal construction of houses, which left two villagers dead and more than 60 injured. After this, the operation was stopped and negotiations were carried out to get the area vacated,” he said.

The official explained that in 2009 CDA removed a few hundred people from Chak Shahzad who later settled on the green belt in sector G-7. In the end, CDA had to allow them to live in sector H-9.

“Now a katchi abadi has developed there,” he said.

According to the official, in 2014, after the intervention of a hospital administration, a slum was removed from the green belt between sector I-10 and H-10.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2015

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