ISLAMABAD — A broad coalition of political parties, legal experts, and civil society activists gathered at the National Press Club on Wednesday to demand an immediate end to the Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) demolition drives. The ‘Haq-i-Rehaish’ (Right to Housing) conference, organized by the Awami Workers Party (AWP), called on the government to honor the constitutional rights of the city’s poorest residents and respect long-standing judicial stay orders.
CDA carried out a demolition operation in Islamabad’s Saidpur Village, affecting multiple homes. Authorities said the land was government-owned and the houses
were built illegally. Watch the video for more details. @isma_shaukat #PakistanConnect pic.twitter.com/TgnD4GeAj0— P Connect (@ConnectingPak) April 6, 2026
Key Demands & Highlights
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Constitutional Rights: Speakers emphasized that the right to housing is a fundamental human right that the state is failing to protect.
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Judicial Intervention: The conference urged the superior courts to enforce a 2015 Supreme Court stay order that mandated a moratorium on summary evictions.
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Call for Regularization: Activists demanded that instead of demolition, the CDA should focus on upgrading and regularizing existing settlements.
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Solidarity: Representatives from several katchi abadis (slums), including those already demolished and those under imminent threat, shared harrowing testimonies of displacement.
Testimonies from the Ground
The conference highlighted the human cost of Islamabad’s urban development, featuring speakers from settlements directly affected by the CDA’s recent operations:
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Muslim Colony, Bari Imam: Umer Bangash recounted the “hellish” demolition in December 2025, which displaced 25,000 residents. He noted that many of these families are the descendants of the very laborers who built Islamabad’s iconic buildings.
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Allama Iqbal Colony (G-7): Fayyaz James warned that 4,000 residents currently live in fear as bulldozers have been stationed near their homes for weeks, signaling an imminent operation.
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Rimsha Colony (H-9): Waris Lal pointed out the irony of the situation for the predominantly Christian residents of Rimsha Colony, who were settled there by the CDA itself in 2012 but are now facing eviction to make way for the 10th Avenue highway project.
Islamabad plans 2 kill Saidpur village civilisation? Demolitions/Evictio… https://t.co/ZlQtw5XuFi via @YouTube
— Matiullah Jan (@Matiullahjan919) April 8, 2026
Legal and Planning Critiques
AWP leaders argued that the CDA continues to violate the Supreme Court’s 2015 ratification, which followed the mass eviction of the I-11 katchi abadi. The court had instructed the CDA to shift its planning priorities toward low-income housing rather than targeting the working class.
“The CDA continues to treat the poor as secondary to infrastructure projects,” said one AWP leader. “We are seeing a total disregard for the Supreme Court’s moratorium on evictions.”
Tensions Amid US Iran Negotiations
The demand for a halt to operations comes at a time when Islamabad is under a high-security lockdown for the US-Iran Peace Talks. While the “Red Zone” is sealed for international dignitaries, activists noted the stark contrast between the city’s role as a global mediator for peace and its domestic policy of displacing its own vulnerable citizens.
The ‘Haq-i-Rehaish’ coalition has vowed to continue its protest, warning that the “sword of eviction” hanging over thousands of households will lead to a humanitarian crisis if the government does not pivot toward inclusive urban planning.
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