The citizens of Karachi protested against the hypocritical 'Protection & Prohibition of Amenity Plots Bill 2009' that was placed before the Sindh Assembly last week, on March 5 at the Mazaar-e-Quaid-e-Azam. The residents of Karachi are extremely concerned about their future and the future of their children.
The protestors included people from all walks of life: school/college students, teachers, mothers, fathers, lawyers, engineers, architects, town-planners, businessmen, industrialists, politicians, social activists, old people, young people, rich people, middle-income people, poor people.
They are all flabbergasted and angry that the elected representatives, the MPAs of Sindh who are sworn to protect the rights of the citizens, could even consider for a moment the future elimination and change-of-land-use of amenity plots and the 'regularisation' of the misuse of these public spaces over the past 17 years.
The objective of this rally/protest was not simply to get the parliamentarians to withdraw this bill, but to drive home a message to them that they cannot consider any such legislation which is against the interest of citizens whom they are sworn to safeguard. Such a legislation, which defies universally established environmental and public interest norms, is morally corrupt. All political parties owe a duty to their voters that any such legislation, which violates the basic human rights of the citizens, should not be allowed. The moral benchmark of political parties should be high against such proposals.
The Sindh Assembly and other elected representatives must realise that the citizens are overwhelmed by the rising cost of the living and other problems in their daily life. The last thing they need is for their elected representatives to be robbing them of their free public spaces.
The Supreme Court has already given a clear directive to the City Government to clear the parks of Karachi from all non-conforming encroachments. Very sadly, the CDGK, which seems to be under the influence of mafias and political criminals, is only demolishing libraries, UC offices and allied structures constructed by the government with citizens' tax money to try and malign the SC and make it order seem against the public interest.
The CDGK is not demolishing private houses and commercial buildings, political party offices, which have been erected over the past four years by political activists who invaded the parks.
The floating of this 'sell-out' Bill 2009 and the 'go-slow' on the compliance with directives of the SC show the scandalous intentions of the present government to try to defeat the orders of the apex court, and to rob the citizens of their constitutionally-guaranteed fundamental 'right to life'.
If the government is genuinely concerned about the welfare of poor persons who have allegedly been defrauded and sold encroached amenity lands by land-grabbers, it should provide such people with alternative plots. The government should also prosecute the land-grabbers and their political patrons. The very few amenity plots and open spaces left in Karachi cannot be changed.
Furthermore, the sincerity of the government can be gauged from the fact that they are not doing anything to stop additional encroachment on amenity spaces that is going on today in collusion with the CDGK land-department officials all over the city, eg Gutter Baghicha.
The protestors at this demo demanded that all illegally-converted amenity plots be restored to their original status; that the rest of the amenity plots be carefully protected from marauders and developed for the benefit of the general citizenry; that all political parties who have this proposed bill withdraw and give an oath that legislation such as this will not be considered either by the city council or the Sindh Assembly, both these august houses are sworn to uphold the right of the citizens who are their voters and who have sent them there on the basis of trust, and an apology from the members of Sindh Assembly that they have wasted the time and energy of the citizens on a proposal which is ethically and morally inconceivable.-PR