ISLAMABAD: An alliance of human rights activists and civil society and political organisations on Sunday strongly condemned the imminent threat of demolition and forced eviction facing residents of Allama Iqbal Colony in G-7, also known as Shapar Colony, a 25-year-old predominantly Christian working-class settlement.

The All Party Alliance for Katchi Abadis, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), National Commission for Justice and Peace, Awami Workers Party, Aurat March Islamabad and allied civil society organisations condemned the reported plan to clear the settlement in the coming week.

Addressing a press conference at the National Press Club, HRCP Vice Chairperson Nasreen Azhar, Dr Farzana Bari, Ammar Rashid and others said they rejected what they described as an “ongoing pattern of evictions carried out by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) without due process, adequate notice or lawful rehabilitation.”

They said these actions were not isolated incidents but part of a broader and deeply unjust approach that disproportionately targets low-income communities across Islamabad’s katchi abadis, affecting families who have lived and worked in these areas for decades.

Alliance urges halt to demolitions, calls for rights-based resettlement policy

“This issue transcends any single religious or social group. The demolition of katchi abadis represents a systemic assault on the housing, dignity and livelihoods of working-class communities,” they said.

Women and children are particularly vulnerable, facing heightened risks of displacement, insecurity and loss of access to basic services, the alliance noted. “The climate of fear surrounding these evictions further suppresses the ability of affected residents to organise and assert their rights,” they said.

They also called on the authorities to immediately halt all planned and ongoing eviction operations, including in Allama Iqbal Colony and Rimsha Colony, and to fully comply with existing judicial directives.

“We remind the CDA that it is bound by prior Supreme Court orders to all provinces, as well as the CDA, to develop and submit comprehensive policies for all informal settlements, which the provinces have already completed,” they said.

The participants of the press conference further said the government must urgently develop and implement a transparent, inclusive and rights-compliant national framework that guarantees security of tenure (malikana huqooq), ensures prior consultation with affected communities and provides fair resettlement within a reasonable radius along with adequate compensation where displacement is unavoidable.

“We further demand meaningful engagement with representatives of katchi abadi communities, as well as accountability for arbitrary and unlawful actions undertaken in the name of urban development,” they said.

It is relevant to note that there are 10 recognised slums in Islamabad approved by the CDA, while two are considered illegal. According to the CDA, Shapar Colony is set up in G-7 Markaz, and the authority recently demolished some structures in the area to clear a public park. The CDA also maintains that Rimsha Colony has been established on encroached land.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2026