[Current Affairs] 16 June, 2021 Top Pakistan Current Affairs for PPSC Test Preparation

2. Gujjar, Orangi nullah houses demolished on order of Supreme Court

What’s going on? Houses along the Gujjar and Orangi nullahs were demolished Monday June 14 after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by residents to stop the demolition. According to Karachi Bachao Tehreek — a movement to stop demolitions of working-class settlements in Karachi — more than 50,000 residents will be displaced by the demolition, 21,000 of whom are children.

The details: The demolitions came after the Supreme Court ordered the clearance of all stormwater drains (nullahs) following torrential rains last August. In May 2021 the Sindh High Court halted demolitions along the two nullahs until the Supreme Court heard the case, but on Monday June 14 the Supreme Court ruled in favour of demolitions amid protests outside its gates. Children residing in the nullah areas protested outside the Karachi Press Club on Sunday before the court’s ruling. According to a Dawn article, parts of the Gujjar nullah were already bulldozed by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation earlier this year in February.

Tell me more: According to a Dawn editorial, the Supreme Court had initially halted the demolitions on the grounds that the houses along the nullahs had been leased to residents by the government. However, the Supreme Court’s ruling on Monday dismissed this notion, arguing that land along the nullahs is not lawfully allowed to be leased.

The context: In addition to protests taking place, #HousingForAll has been trending on Twitter in support of those whose homes have been razed to the ground. One member of the Awami Workers Party tweeted that “not a single mainstream political party stood with residents of informal settlements & slums in Pakistan.” Writer and educationist, Khurram Ali, pointed out that the latest demolitions at Gujjar and Orangi nullahs are a class issue above all else; working-class citizens pay the price for allegedly constructing settlements illegally while residents of “elite” housing societies face no such consequences.

The bottom line: The Supreme Court didn’t rule in favor of the Gujjar and Orangi nullah affectees who are losing their homes. Now, opponents of the demolitions, like Karachi Bachao Tehreek, are hoping the affectees will at least receive adequate compensation and rehabilitation.