KARACHI: Political, religious and nationalist leaders and civil right campaigners on Tuesday criticised the provincial government’s plan to give 6,000 acres to the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) for a housing scheme in the coastal belt of the city and demanded withdrawal of the decision.

At a multiparty conference (MPC) called by the Sindh United Party, speakers asked the provincial government to withdraw the decision of allotment of land to the DHA and give lease of land to residents of the locality.

They urged the provincial government to provide legal protection to the local population in Deh Allah Banu, Deh Mendiari and Deh Chhatara in district Keamari by accepting that they have the ‘first right’ to own the land inhibited by them for years.

The participants also demanded basic civic facilities, including roads, electricity, gas and potable water for the local population of the coastal belt.

SUP, other political parties ask authorities to provide legal protection to local population in Keamari

They said that instead of creating a DHA scheme, families of members of armed forces should be given residential plots and agricultural land in their native areas.

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The conference, presided over by SUP President Syed Zain Shah, was attended among others by Muhammad Hussain Mehanti of Jamaat-i-Islami, Dr Safdar Abbasi of Grand Democratic Alliance, Dr Qadir Magsi of Sindh Tarraqi-pasand Party, Riaz Chandio of Jeay Sindh Mahaz, Qari Usman of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazal, Kashif Nizamani of PML-Functional, Ali Palh of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Awami Tehreek’s Noor Katiyar, Qaumi Awami Tehreek’s Farhan Larak, Sindh Sagar Party’s Abdul Momin Memon, general secretary of the Sindh High Court Bar Association and president of the Karachi Bar Association Amir Nawaz Waraich.

The SUP president said that 270km coastline, millions of acres of agricultural land, resources and water of the province had been compromised. “People have been living in Keamari district for centuries and no one has the right to evict the locals by force,” he said and added that the affected people should be given the right to urban land.

Zain Shah said that all parties had assured them that they would launch a strong protest on this issue.

GDA’s Safdar Abbsi said that land of Kotri and Guddu Barrages had been given to foreigners.

He said that certain politicians were trying to usurp the rights of the people of the province.

Mr Mehanti of the JI said that the people of Sindh would not tolerate that Keamari land was given to the DHA. “Pakistan Peoples Party has always taken decisions against the interests of the people of Sindh,” he said.

Dr Qadir Magsi said: “The biggest threat to the country is from the imposed rulers.” He said that ownership rights were not being given to the local people who had been living there for “thousands of years”.

While DHA has not made any official statement as yet, sources had earlier told Dawn that the Hawkesbay Scheme in district West had become a hotspot for “land mafia” and only an “organised and legal housing scheme under a strong administration” could save the area from encroachments and unauthorised occupation.

The sources said that the proposal was in “very early stage” and the fate of DHA’s further expansion was so far “unclear”. “Even if the land was identified by the provincial government in line with the DHA Karachi’s request, it was not clear that the expansion would be viable or not,” a source privy to the expansion plan had said.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2024