Families displaced by demolition drives to widen roads along Gujjar and Orangi nullahs protested outside the Karachi Press Club, demanding that the government fulfill its promise of resettling them as per a Supreme Court order.

The protest, organized by the Karachi Bachao Tehreek (KBT), saw a large number of affected families, including children, calling for alternative housing as promised by the government.

The protesters carried placards demanding the government pay Rs 6.92 billion in one lump sum for constructing homes on 80-square-yard plots.

The displaced families, struggling with rising rent costs and inflation, urged the government to expedite the payment and continue issuing rent cheques until the lump sum is paid and called for the cheque process to be streamlined in consultation with them.

Protesters said they had submitted applications twice, but the commissioner’s office rejected their requests to include missing IDs in the rehabilitation process.

The victims demanded a transparent system to ensure all missing IDs were accounted for and the corresponding cheques were issued to them.

It is worth mentioning here that the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) resumed the demolition of illegal constructions in Mujahid Colony, near Karachi’s Nazimabad area earlier this month, after the Sindh High Court (SHC) directives.

The KDA’s Anti-Enforcement Cell, led by its Additional Director, demolished the remaining structures in Mujahid Colony.

A high-rise building was completely taken down, but progress remains slow due to incomplete evacuation by the district administration.

Despite heavy police deployment, KDA staff encountered resistance from residents and victims during the operation.

Residents and victims protested against the demolitions, demanding solutions and compensation.