Karachi, February 5, 2025 – Karachi Bachao Tehreek (KBT) and the victims of Gujjar Nullah demolitions held an emergency meeting to discuss the government’s recent decision to distribute housing compensation in full, without installments—a decision made only after immense pressure from the affectees. While this move is welcomed, serious concerns remain over the transparency of the distribution process.
Key Concerns
- The government has distributed rental cheques, but has not released the list of beneficiaries—not to the victims’ legal counsel Faisal Siddiqui, not to Karachi Bachao Tehreek, and not even to the media.
- Nearly 2,000 affectees have repeatedly submitted applications, either through KBT or independently, stating that their homes were demolished, yet they were never assigned an ID for compensation or received any financial relief.
- The Commissioner’s Office rejected lists of missing IDs that had already been verified by the DC Office and land surveyors. If these lists were fraudulent, why has no action been taken against the officials who originally verified them?
- Additional Commissioner 2, Zunaira Jaleel, was appointed by the court to resolve the Missing IDs issue, yet she was abruptly transferred—raising suspicions about the government’s real motives.
Is the Government Hiding Compensation Fraud?
Instead of ensuring transparency, the government has now formed yet another commission to distribute housing compensation, creating further confusion. Rental cheques were distributed by one department, then another, and now a third entity is responsible for housing payments—turning the lives of nearly 100,000 displaced people into a bureaucratic nightmare.
There is also strong evidence that affectees are being forced to pay bribes just to receive their rightful compensation. Victims have reported facing humiliation, delays, and exploitation when trying to access their payments. It is unacceptable that the very government funded by taxpayers continues to mistreat and defraud the same citizens.
Karachi Bachao Tehreek Demands:
- The government must immediately release the complete list of 6,932 verified affectees who have received compensation.
- A public schedule for housing compensation distribution must be issued, detailing when each area’s affectees will receive payments.
- No additional documentation should be required—affectees should receive compensation based on their CNIC or a copy of their previous cheque.
- A structured, transparent token-based system must be implemented to ensure an organized and fair distribution process.
- Separate counters for women and the elderly must be set up to prevent undue hardship.
- Families of deceased or overseas affectees must be allowed to collect payments through a power of attorney.
- Receipts must be issued for every payment made, and a final list of recipients must be published after the distribution.
- Affectees should not be forced to sign illegal affidavits waiving their right to future compensation. If plots are not provided immediately, compensation must be adjusted for inflation.
- The government must complete plot allotments within six months; failure to do so will justify further compensation demands.
- The Missing IDs crisis must be resolved immediately. If not, officials responsible for rejecting verified IDs must be held accountable.
- The same institutions, methods, and procedures should be adopted to distribute construction money as were employed while distributing the checks as per the Honourable Supreme Court’s directions.
KBT’s Message to the Government
If the government fails to meet these demands, Karachi Bachao Tehreek will escalate its protests and take legal action against all responsible officials.
This is not just about lists and cheques—this is about people’s lives. Families have lost everything, and now they are being forced to fight for the compensation that is rightfully theirs. We will not stop until every affectee receives their due justice.