Authorities in Pakistani capital Islamabad have temporarily halted plans to evict around 25,000 people, most of whom are Christians, from settlements currently occupying government land.
Last week the interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi said the government had “launched an operation against informal settlements and illegal occupants in Islamabad. Wherever there is government land that has been encroached, it will be vacated.”
The move led to significant protests by Christians affected by the move, who say that due to poverty and discrimination, they have nowhere else to go.
The situation has also attracted the notice of the British parliament’s All Party Parliamentary Group for Pakistani Minorities.
The chair of the group, the DUP's Jim Shannon MP, said, “The Christian families living in Islamabad’s informal settlements are among the country’s most vulnerable communities.
"Pakistan’s Constitution guarantees equality and protection for minorities. Any development initiative must uphold these commitments.
"Authorities should halt demolitions, consult residents, and ensure that no family is left without shelter or support.”
One of the settlements under threat is the Rimsha Colony, named after a mentally handicapped Christian girl who was falsely accused of burning pages from the Quran, leading to significant tension.
Many Christians fled their homes and settled at what would become Rimsha Colony. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, the government were themselves involved in relocating Christians to the colony.
Community leader Imran Shahzad Sahotra told Christian Daily International that many residents had no options due to low incomes and discrimination in the housing market.
“Issuing directives to slum dwellers to vacate the land without offering them alternative shelters is a great injustice … People are settled here and have no other options," he said.
Reports suggest that while the protests may have led to the plan being halted, government officials have not abandoned the scheme, which has been undertaken at least in part to build a new road linking two sectors of Islamabad.
An official with the Capital Development Authority (CDA) told UCA News on condition of anonymity that the evictions will “definitely proceed".
