Islamabad, March 30 (NationPress) Human rights advocates and civic organizations have vehemently opposed the proposed demolition and coercive eviction of individuals residing in Allama Iqbal Colony, a 25-year-old primarily Christian working-class neighborhood in Islamabad. This community is now facing an urgent threat of clearance in the imminent future, raising profound concerns over the rights of minorities and potential displacement.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), along with the All Party Alliance for Katchi Abadis, the National Commission for Justice and Peace, the Awami Workers Party, Aurat March Islamabad, and other allied civil society entities, have categorically denounced the persistent trend of evictions executed by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in Islamabad, highlighting the absence of due process, sufficient notice, and lawful rehabilitation.

As articulated by these organizations, these actions are not mere isolated events but part of a larger, unjust strategy employed by Pakistani authorities that disproportionately impacts low-income groups within Islamabad’s katchi abadis (informal settlements)—“affecting families who have resided and worked in these locales for several decades.”

Expressing their dismay, they noted that the ongoing neglect of Pakistan's 2015 Supreme Court stay order and the lack of a coherent, rights-based policy indicate a troubling decline in legal safeguards for marginalized citizens.

“This matter extends beyond any singular religious or social faction. The dismantling of katchi abadis signifies a systemic attack on the housing, dignity, and livelihoods of working-class populations. Women and children, in particular, are at heightened risk, facing increased threats of displacement, insecurity, and loss of access to essential services. The prevailing atmosphere of fear surrounding these evictions further hinders the ability of affected residents to organize and claim their rights,” the organizations stated.

They urged the Pakistani authorities to immediately cease all planned and ongoing eviction efforts, including those in Allama Iqbal Colony and Rimsha Colony, and to fully adhere to existing judicial orders.

“We would remind the CDA that it is obliged by previous Supreme Court rulings applicable to all provinces—to create and submit comprehensive strategies for all informal settlements, which the provinces have already undertaken,” the groups asserted.

“Moreover, the government must urgently devise and implement a national framework that is transparent, inclusive, and compliant with rights that guarantees security of tenure, ensures prior consultation with impacted communities, and provides equitable resettlement within a reasonable distance, along with adequate compensation where displacement is unavoidable,” they added.

The organizations have called for meaningful dialogue with representatives of katchi abadi communities and accountability for the “arbitrary and unlawful actions” conducted in the name of urban development by the Pakistani authorities.