ISLAMABAD: Over the years, the authorities had remained vary of removing the settlement in Sector I-11 out of fear of resistance by the residents.

Several senior CDA and police officials expressed surprise at the events on Thursday, as they were expecting a much stronger resistance from the slum-dwellers.

A senior police official told Dawn that the authorities were surprised when they saw the residents make a human chain around their homes and later pelt the policemen with stones. “The police were expecting a gun-battle,” he said.

The official said that during a meeting at the Chief Commissioner Office, which was also attended by the IGP, it was decided to take assistance from the Rangers, Anti-Riot Unit, Anti-Terrorism Squad and police commandoes because a large-scale resistance was expected.

“The operation was started in response to High Court orders otherwise, in the past, all plans to remove these homes were dropped because of fears of resistance,” a senior CDA official told Dawn.

He said that there was an understanding among the CDA senior officials that the demolition of a few houses on Thursday would be enough to satisfy the court, which would take up the issue on Friday (today). “However, when no serious resistance was put up, we revised our plan and decided to go for maximum demolition,” he said.

During this week, two attempted were made by the CDA to start the operation but were halted because of mild resistance from the residents. In 2013, National Assembly Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat had also directed the CDA to remove the settlement, but the civic mangers remained fail to take any action.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2015

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