Mass eviction of slum inhabitants in Karachi’s Orangi and Gujjar area has left thousands of people without a roof. The Sindh High court, in a bid to prevent rapid urbanization and urban sprawl, issued an order to evict all buildings from the areas around the Orangi and Gujjar area. However, these areas are inhabited by thousands of people. These people do not have legal rights over the land they occupy, and no government policy has been implemented which caters to the people displaced during slum rehabilitation.
This is a loophole in slum rehabilitation initiatives because it leaves hundreds of people homeless. The recent mass eviction in Karachi will render many school-going children and infants homeless, fueling child mortality and multidimensional poverty.
The Naya Pakistan Housing Program aims to reduce slum proliferation on the outskirts of major cities by providing alternative affordable housing options to slum inhabitants. However, the program is still in its developing stages. Until the government comes up with a plan to systematically look after the displaced people, hundreds of people will continue to suffer due to mass evictions.
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