ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel on Tuesday directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) not to take any action against slums until it reviews the matter.

The meeting of the Minority Caucus, which met under the convenership of Senator Danesh Kumar, reviewed issues concerning minority rights, representation and rehabilitation of affected communities.

Discussing issues of slums, the committee convener directed the CDA to immediately halt any ongoing eviction operations and refrain from undertaking any further expansion of such actions until the matter is thoroughly reviewed by the committee.

Earlier, the committee received a detailed briefing from the CDA chairman on the eviction notices issued to various katchi abadis in Islamabad, including Ramsha Colony, Allama Iqbal Colony, Miskeen Musharraf Colony, Dhobi Ghat (G-6) and Isa Nagri (1-10). The briefing covered the legal basis of the notices, the status of the settlements and proposed rehabilitation measures for affected residents, with particular focus on minority communities residing in these areas.

Subcommittee constituted to examine issue, submit recommendations for safeguarding rights of affected families

Following the briefing, the convener of the committee directed the CDA to immediately halt any ongoing eviction plan. He further instructed the civic body to present a comprehensive policy proposal in the next meeting, along with the findings of a detailed survey of Ramsha Colony, including the total number of residential units and commercial establishments.

To ensure close oversight of the matter, the committee also constituted a subcommittee to examine the issue in detail and submit its recommendations for safeguarding the rights and rehabilitation of the affected families. Earlier, at the outset of the meeting, the committee was briefed by officials of the CDA on the management, maintenance, security, rehabilitation and facilitation of non-Muslim places of worship in Islamabad.

The committee discussed various aspects of the subject and sought further details on the measures being undertaken to preserve and facilitate these places of worship.

The convener also directed the officials concerned to ensure that working papers and relevant briefing material were provided to the committee at least 48 hours prior to each meeting to enable members to effectively review the agenda and prepare for deliberations.

Similarly, the committee also got briefing about the National Highway Authority (NHA).

During the discussion, committee members raised concerns regarding representation of minorities in the NHA and questioned why minority candidates were not being selected on open merit.

Senator Danesh Kumar emphasised the need to ensure equal opportunities and inquired whether any form of discrimination existed against minority communities in recruitment and career progression.

The NHA officials informed the committee that no formal complaints of discrimination from minority employees had been reported within the authority.

The committee also took up the issue of vacant posts reserved for minorities, particularly in lower grades. Officials from the NHA stated that a large number of such positions had remained unfilled due to the absence of recruitment since 2017.

The members further stressed the need to review the outsourcing policy to assess its impact on employment opportunities for minorities and other reserved categories.

The committee convener informed the meeting that the matter had already been taken up with the relevant authorities and directed NHA to provide year-wise details of minority quota allocations, vacancies and appointments to facilitate a comprehensive review of the issue.

The meeting was attended by Senator Gurdeep Singh, Senator Poonjo Bheel, MNAs Ramesh Lal, Dr Mahesh Kumar Malani, Dr Darshan, Naveed Aamir, Ms Neelam, Ispharyar M. Bhandara, State Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Kesoo Mal Kheal Das and other officials from ministries and CDA.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2026