[Imc-india] Solidarity appeal from Karachi evicted families

[Anana Ted]

Dear friends,
Eviction  Watch received information from Urban
Resource Center, a Karachi based NGO,  that the
Karachi city administration  demolished some 350
houses  on April 14, 2004 despite a stay order from
the court not to do it.
In the spirit of solidarity, please respond to their
request for appeal letters to be sent to concerned
Pakistani authorities.
Below is a sample letter you may find useful.
Thank you very much.

Ted Anana
Coordinator 
Eviction Watch - ACHR
---------------------------------------------
From: "urc Karachi" 
To: "Ted Anana" ,
CC: "ACHR" 
Subject:  Eviction in Karachi
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2004 16:09:45 +0500
City adminstration demolished "Anwar Shah Goth"

Anwar Shah Goth, sector 5 C kilyana UC 1 North Karachi
Town over 350 houses were demolished under the orders
of Town Nazim (Mayor) 0n 14 April 2004. The town
adminstration played in the hands of land grabbers who
wanted to vacate this land and resell it for
commercial purposes. A stay order from court not to
demolish the settlement was also ignored. Now police
is threatening the effected community to leave the
place or they all will be arrest.
 
Send your concerns directly to city mayor and
governor;
 
Urban Resource Centre
3/48 Mualimabad off Khalid bin Walid Road 
Karachi 74800 Pakistan
Tel: 92 21 4559275 Fax 21 4384288 
E-mail, <urc at cyber.net.pk> web www.urckarachi.org

-----------------------------------------------------
(Sample letter)
 

 
Mr. NIAMATULLAH KHAN 
CITY NAZIM (Mayor)
Karachi City district Government
Karachi Pakistan
 Fax: +92 21 9215117 and +92 21 9232406 
E-mail  citynazim at karachicity.gov.pk 

Dr. Ishrat Ul Ebad Khan 
Governor Sindh 
 Fax: 92 21 9204922 and 92 21  9202505 
governor at governorsindh.gov.pk 
 
 
Dear Sirs:
 

Our organization has received information  from civil
society organizations in Pakistan that the  city
administration demolished more than  350 houses in
Anwar Shah Goth, sector 5 C kilyana UC 1 North Karachi
Town on 14 April 2004. The settlement was demolished
without any prior notice, despite a stay order from
the court. Now over 2,000 children, men and women are
living under the harsh hot summer  sun without any
shelter. The police is threatening the affected
community to leave the place or they all will be
arrested

Please be reminded that as far back as 1993 the United
Nations Commission on Human Rights has declared 
forced evictions as gross violations of human rights,
in particular the right to adequate housing.  This has
been reiterated by numerous United Nations documents
such as the 1996 Habitat II  Istanbul Declaration.
 
Moreover, it troubles us very much to know that the
city administration went ahead with the forced
eviction in spite of a stay  order from the court. 
Such an act does not speak well of the city
government’s  adherence to the rule of law which every
democratic society  must adhere to, if it is not to
degenerate into the rule by those with powerful
connections and money..
 
Therefore we urge you to give  full compensation to
all victims of the forced eviction  and to allow them
to rebuild their houses again at same settlement. 
 
 
Respectfully yours,
Name
Organization
Address








	
		
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