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NCJP
Islamabad (Fides News Agency) – Archbishop Joseph Arshad of Islamabad-Rawalpindi described the Federal Constitutional Court's ruling, which calls on the Islamabad-Rawalpindi city government to "develop a comprehensive legal framework for the recognition of slums within one month," as "a significant step toward protecting the rights of disadvantaged communities."
"The decision is a positive step toward resolving the long-standing problems of marginalized populations," Archbishop Arshad said, emphasizing that residents of informal settlements "are full citizens and have a right to basic services, legal protection, and adequate housing." These slums are home to low-income families, including many Christian families, who have been affected in recent weeks by eviction notices issued by the Capital Development Authority (CDA), the Islamabad-Rawalpindi city government. The CDA has begun demolishing informal settlements and slums that have sprung up over the past 30 years in various areas of the two cities, such as the Allama Iqbal Colony. The CDA's actions, supported by demolition vehicles and police forces, are being met with resistance from slum dwellers, a resistance backed by civil society organizations and human rights groups such as the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). These NGOs are urging the authorities to care for the families in these informal settlements (estimated at over 400,000 people) and propose relocating them to affordable public housing, emphasizing that the right to housing is enshrined in Article 9 of the Pakistani Constitution.
The Human Rights Commission stated that the policy of arbitrary evictions without alternative solutions would ultimately lead to internally displaced persons and homeless groups in the two cities, exacerbating exclusion and poverty. The Catholic Church is also standing by the affected families, and volunteers from the National Commission for Justice and Peace have expressed their solidarity and support. A group of lawyers and non-governmental organizations appealed the CDA's decision to the Federal Constitutional Court, protecting the residents of these settlements. The court subsequently ordered the CDA to suspend the evictions and establish a comprehensive legal framework for the recognition of informal settlements. (PA) (Fides News Agency, 18/4/2026)
