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The government is running around with its begging bowl seeking funds for the displaced persons who now reportedly number over three million. President Asif Zardari, when in Karachi, asked the business community to come forth and contribute funds to set up relief camps without informing them or us as to how much he himself and his friends in government, none of them in any manner deprived, have contributed. May we know?

Should the 'Green Karachi' project not be slowed down, with money diverted to relief camps for those displaced persons who are seeking refuge? Yes, we must have the parks, but for the moment, until some sort of normalcy is returned to the country, they can be fenced in and measures taken to ensure that there are no encroachments. The large shady tree-planting, not an excessively expensive exercise, should go ahead forthwith. But it is the homeless and dispossessed who have sought hospitality who must take priority when it comes to spending the people's money.

My last column under the above title was well received by those who care for this city. Over 30 emails came in from citizens supplying additional details of the unlawful capture of amenity spaces in various sectors. One government officer, while apprising me of land that was being gobbled up in Karachi, accused me of being partial and not exposing the wrongdoings of the politicos and their parties. In his words, The ministers and leaders of ethnic groups are organising the land grab and encroachments, under the patronage of the law enforcement agencies — after the home minister has been won over.

On May 25 the UAE blog The National carried this bit of news Criminal gangs with links to key political parties are terrorising the residents of Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, according to officials and victims. The most powerful is the so-called 'land mafia', who take over commercial plots, government land and even people's homes, the officials said. The land mafiosi, who work out of legal fronts such as building, contracting and real estate businesses, derive their strength from political parties with constituencies in Karachi and other parts of southern Sindh province such as the MQM, the PPP, the ANP and the PML-Q and PML-Functional.

The role of the Karachi police in the grabbing of land is pivotal they owe allegiance to none except Mammon. No government land can be encroached upon unless the force is paid off, but law and order support is not forthcoming to the municipal agencies which occasionally try to remove encroachers. The pace of land grabbing is accelerating in areas on the periphery of the city, with all political parties, government agencies and law-enforcement bodies making sure they get their share. In the city centre, politicians are sponsoring the takeover of pedestrian pavements, roads and open spaces for thelas, khokas and commercial activity.

For many months city nazim Mustafa Kamal has repeatedly written to Capital City Police officer Waseem Ahmed, copying the governor, chief minister and home department, lamenting the collusive role of the police in facilitating recent encroachments on government land — to no avail. The CDGK has listed 7,956 allotted/un-allotted plots (residential, amenity, commercial, industrial and flat-site) that have been swallowed up in former KDA schemes and townships (see www.shehri.org).

Land encroachment has also taken an ethnic bent. For 60 years, Sindhis have found themselves progressively becoming a minority in their own capital city. Now the descendants of the original Mohajirs are worried about the influx of Pashtuns into Karachi and their growing political power (in last year's elections the ANP won two seats in the MQM's stronghold). The MQM has under way a variation of Lebensraum (the 20th century Nazi scheme to resolve potential demographic problems and defend the German race against stagnation and degeneration) which it is hoped will create vote-banks.

A visit to Sikanderabad, a massive katchi abadi behind the Ziauddin Hospital in Clifton, exposes ongoing land reclamation in the eastern backwaters of Chinna Creek, in the jurisdiction of the Karachi Port Trust. Structures are presently under construction on 60 square yard plots that have been sold for Rs150,000 each by the local land mafia, who dumped trucks of earth-fill and garbage into the sea to produce 'land'.

Furthermore, poles are installed in the water over large areas, demarcating and laying claim to 'plots' that will be created in the near future. At this rate, Sikanderabad will soon meet Lalazar on M.T. Khan Road (Beach Luxury Hotel, Boat Club, Naval Colony, etc), virtually eliminating the tidal action of Chinna Creek that scours the shipping channel of Karachi harbour.

Citizens in affected areas are now approaching the courts, which are responding in an effort to protect the environment but it may be a case of too little, too late. This week the CDGK was restrained by the SHC from auctioning 13 amenity plots in North Karachi (community gardens, car shelters); an anti-corruption judge has indicted Allaudin Sabir, a former KMC municipal commissioner for illegally converting amenity Gutter Baghicha land into residential housing; and Justices Mushir Alam and Safdar Ali Bhutto of the Sindh High Court banned the cutting of trees throughout Karachi.

Conversion of the Mahmoodabad sewage treatment plant and auction of a space on the Clifton promenade have also been stayed, as were certain encroachments on parks in the North Nazimabad/Federal B areas.

Afterthought some of our politicians are even evincing some interest in upholding the law. The PML-N has punished two high-level legislators, one for cheating in a university exam by having someone else appear for him, the other for manhandling and intimidating customs officers at Lahore airport. Well done the Brothers Sharif!

arfc@cyber.net.pk