What Happened: Various videos emerged yesterday of mass scale illegal land grabbing by Bahria Town in a village near Bahria Town Karachi. A number of heavy machinery, armed guards, security forces , police vans and workers barged into an indigenous village near Bahria Town Karachi, starting preparations for encroachment of the land. 100s of the local villagers came out to stand for their land and chanted that they won’t let their land be stolen from them.
The silence of mainstream parties & media on this brutal land grab is disgusting. State machinery is violently displacing indigenous villagers for Bahria Town & arresting those who protest. PPP's Sindh govt enabling mass evictions while its supporters look on.#SayNoToBahriaTown https://t.co/bACMbCHEET
— Ammar Rashid (@AmmarRashidT) April 29, 2021
Security forces involved: The entourage of the Bahria Town forces was accompanied by Sindh police and many other armed guards who tried to disperse the crowd of the local villagers. The forces harassed, attacked and fired blank rounds at the local villagers to let the construction go on in the villages of Gaddap and Khatur.
Receiving these footages from villagers living near #BahriaTown Karachi.
Police, officials, security guards of #BahriaTown trying to encroach land near Bahria. #SayNoToBahriaTown pic.twitter.com/J75jK5BrBQ— Sameer Mandhro (@smendhro) April 29, 2021
These scenes are not from Gaza but this is Democratic Pakistan’s biggest city,Karachi where one builder is so powerful that Law, State & Media are under his control.Nationalist & Political Parties silence on this act by Malik Riaz & Bahria town is questionable. #SayNoToBahriaTown pic.twitter.com/17OWoeOYae
— FahmidaRiaz فہمیدہ ریاض (@fehmidariaz) April 29, 2021
The Law: The 1993 Malir Development Authority act says that no unregistered land can be given to any private residential scheme, however it is to note that this law was amended by the PPP government in 2013, hence letting Bahria Town carry out this mass scale encroachment.
1993 MDA act says that even no unregister land would be given to a private scheme. PPP amended this law in 2013 & BoR's powers were given to MDA (Malir Development Authority). Then, Sharjeel became MDA's chairman from 2014 to 2016 for giving whole land to BTK.#SayNoToBahriaTown pic.twitter.com/ZV6Ucm6oMZ
— Mehran Memon (@MehranMemon32) April 29, 2021
#SayNoToBahriaTown: A social media campaign saw 100s of tweets flood these channels showing videos the Bahria Town Administration accompanied by forces marching into these old villages while people screamed and shouted. Various altercations took place.
Why is Sindh Police acting like it works for Bahria Town and helping them grab land? @murtazawahab1 @BBhuttoZardari @MuradAliShahPPP#SayNoToBahriaTown https://t.co/U7KU8feQFe
— Usama Khilji (@UsamaKhilji) April 29, 2021
The Twitter users have questioned the role of the state and what responsibility it owes to these people.
Latest of occupying forces of Bahria Town.#SayNoToBahriaTown pic.twitter.com/2fAsi9n8IA
— Ali Rind (@AliRind) April 29, 2021
Many demanded that the perpetrators should be arrested and questioned about the legalities of these brutalities.
Bahria town has dispossessed hundreds of people while being subsidized by public money. Sindh govt, federal govt & media are all helpless in front of Malik Riaz. Real Estate mafia is a ‘state above state’ that must be held accountable.#SayNoToBahriaTown https://t.co PxzMMMoMh
— Famy.. (@fambanglani) April 28, 2021