Ethnic Prejudice

Pakistan’s government institutions are as culpable of Christian persecution as the radical Muslim Islamic Supremacists. Shamim Masih reports there is a government design of urban renewal targeting Christians of the Capital city Islamabad living in slums. Urban renewal may sound like progress but the ultimate result will make Pakistani Christians already dwelling tenuously in Islamabad’s slums a displaced people of homeless individuals.

JRH 3/23/14

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Ethnic Prejudice

By Shamim Masih

Sent: 3/22/2014 10:19 AM

ISLAMABAD: Slum dwellers of Islamabad live in the poverty line, they lack the basic necessities of life such as health, education and shelter. They live in houses made of mud and some of them are a mixture of bricks and mud. Around 10 percent of them live in houses made of cement and bricks. Many of the houses are made in a way they can be easily flooded with rain. Houses consist of a single room which fulfills the requirement of a bed room, kitchen and a dining room as well. The electricity supply is pathetic in the area. There is an unavailability of purified water and an open drainage [sewage] system. Clearly this shows that hygiene is maintained in the area at a zero level.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) carried out a detailed survey of the capital to gather the data of the slums. With [this data collection the CDA] has decided to demolish at least a dozen slums in Islamabad but did not mention any resettlement plan or compensation for the helpless dwellers. According to the sources on the direction of CDA chairman, notices had been issued to the slum dwellers of sectors G-7/1, G-7/2, G-7/3, G-8/1, F-7/4 and F-6 to vacate their houses. The CDA has asked for help from IESCO, SNGPL and FIA to help it carry out a grand operation against the dwellers in Islamabad. Sources informed that the slum dwellers who reside in the slums of G-7/1, G-7/2, G-7/3, G-8/1, H-11/4, F-7/4 and F-6 have been warned through public notices the slums would be demolished between March 24 and April 30, 2014. According to the notice, the CDA would demolish all these structures and the dwellers would be responsible for any sort of risk involved.

The leftist community of the capital city has announced this operation as an attack on the fundamental rights of thousands of working-class people who live in the capital’s slums. Nazir S Bhatti chief of Pakistan Christian Congress (PCC) strongly condemned this action and is determined to strongly resist the CDA’s plan. He said that Christians are being singled out in part because of ethnic prejudice. While CDA Estate member Shaista Sohail said that the civic agency had been directed by the ministry of interior to clear the illegally occupied lands from the slum dwellers, particularly to lessen security risks. It is to be noted that the Islamabad High Court’s Justice Shoukat Aziz Siddique had directed CDA to clear the slum settlements from the capital within a month in order to ensure the security of the city.

The human rights activist Basharat Khokhar visited CDA senior management and was assured by the CDA officials to provide foolproof security to slum dweller Christians of the capital. Amir Ahmad Ali – member admin - assured that the CDA is not going to demolish any Christian katchi abadi in the capital.

  

Interior minister Chaudhry Nisar has led the charge for a crackdown. He singled the katchi abadis out as possible militant havens soon after his party, the Pakistan Muslim League (PML- N) came to power last summer. It is pertinent to mention here that most of the inhabitants in these slums are Christians who have lived in these slums in deplorable conditions for a long time. Shamim Masih (secretary information PCC) said that the CDA has different policies for working class people living in the slums and those living in the superior sectors of the capital.

Be Blessed,

Shamim Masih

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Edited by John R. Houk

Bracketed content is added by the Editor

© Shamim Masih

Special Correspondents

Daily Khabrian (PakBiz.com description) & Channel - 5

Human Rights Activist

Snapshot of Human Rights Activism from 2011

Christian Rights Activist
Freelance Journalist 

Secretary General of Information

Pakistan Christian Congress

Shamim Masih’s Donate/Support info:

Editor: For Americans especially, I have discovered the best way to donate to Shamim Masih is via Western Union sending to a Western Union agent in Islamabad.

FOR USD TRANSFER.
Intermediary Bank:                         MASHREQ BANK, NEW YORK
Intermediary Bank SWIFT BIC:         MSHQUS33
Beneficiary Bank:                         JS BANK LIMITED
Beneficiary Bank SWIFT BIC:                 JSBLPKKA
Bank A/c # at Intermediary bank:         70008227
Title Of a/c                                Shamim Masih
Beneficiary Account Number:                 405527

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IBAN #                                        pk80jsbl9530000000405227


FOR GBP TRANSFER.
Intermediary Bank:                         MASHREQ BANK, LONDON
Intermediary Bank SWIFT BIC:         MSHQGB2L
Beneficiary Bank:                         JS BANK LIMITED
Beneficiary Bank SWIFT BIC:                 JSBLPKKA
Bank A/c # at Intermediary bank:         00010855
Title Of a/c                                Shamim Masih
Beneficiary Account Number:                 405527
IBAN #                                        pk80jsbl9530000000405227



FOR EURO TRANSFER.
Intermediary Bank:                         MASHREQ BANK, LONDON
Intermediary Bank SWIFT BIC:         MSHQGB2L
Beneficiary Bank:                         JS BANK LIMITED
Beneficiary Bank SWIFT BIC:                 JSBLPKKA
Bank A/c # at Intermediary bank:         10847
Title Of a/c                                Shamim Masih
Beneficiary Account Number:                 405527
IBAN #                                        pk80jsbl9530000000405227 Bottom of Form