KARACHI: The organisers and allies of the People’s Climate March to be held on Sunday said on Wednesday that the purpose of their event was to organise a people-led response to the environmental crisis with victims of climate injustice at the forefront.

Speaking at a press conference at the Karachi Press Club, they cited the affectees of demolitions along Gujjar and Orangi Nullah, Malir Expressway and Karachi Circular Railway and those who have been forcibly displaced by the violent practices of Bahria Town, Defence Housing Authority and other developers among the victims of climate injustice in Karachi.

It was explained during the press conference that there is currently a collective urgency in the world as it is suffering from a catastrophic environmental crisis caused by the profit motivated, extractive practices of a few.

The futility of COP26 has also made it evident that under the current capitalist system, the common people will not be able to save the environment. So in light of the repeated failure of world governments and international regulatory bodies to alleviate this crisis, it is obvious that there is a need for people-centred response in the form of a grassroots struggle, they added.

On the occasion, the organisers and allies of the march also shared a set of demands such as an end to the demolition of working-class homes and villages and the right to shelter of the displaced.

Another demand was for a bill to be passed in reference to the affectees of the Gujjar and Orangi Nullahs, the KCR and Haji Lemo Goth with the same urgency as displayed to protect ‘buildings’. It was also demanded that the affectees be given alternative housing of 120 square yards in their districts.

They also demanded a transparent compensation process, and resolution of issues of identity cards along with the constitution of a rehabilitation committee.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2021