HRCP deplores operation against poor settlement

LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has deplored a recent operation in which a low-income settlement in Islamabad was razed to the ground, leaving at least 75 poor families homeless.

In a press release on Saturday, the HRCP said such incidents reflect a cavalier approach to protecting the rights and welfare of vulnerable communities. It is likely that the rash of evictions that has occurred in the last two years – in many cases without adequate notice or compensation, and resettlement options – has encouraged local authorities to conduct such operations without considering the human cost.

While the government has announced support to the construction sector, it is questionable whether these benefits will reach those who need them most, among them, the informal workers and daily wage labourers who make up the bulk of the population relegated to Kachi Abadis. In this crisis, axing people’s right to shelter is reprehensible and belies the government’s earlier promises to provide affordable housing for the poor.

The HRCP urges the government to avoid trickle-down policies driven by big businesses and property developers.

Its approach to managing the economic challenges wrought by the pandemic is only as good as its ability to protect the economic and social rights of the poorest and most vulnerable.

“We urge the government to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable foremost in its efforts to manage the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic,” the HRCP said.