Rights activists and community representatives have urged the government to announce a comprehensive resettlement plan before launching any eviction or demolition drive linked to the Karachi-Peshawar Main Line (ML-1) railway expansion project.
Speaking at a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Tuesday, members of the ML-1 Affecters Action Committee warned that the enforcement of the railway Right-of-Way (ROW) principle should not become a pretext for acquiring excessive land from poor families living along railway tracks.
The ML-1 project aims to modernize Pakistan’s main railway corridor from Karachi to Peshawar to improve freight and passenger connectivity. Work on the project is expected to begin in July 2026 from Karachi Port.
Addressing the press conference, Zahid Farooq of the Urban Resource Centre said the state was constitutionally responsible for providing housing facilities to citizens. He argued that weak housing policies had forced low-income communities to establish katchi abadis along railway land.
Farooq said the Sindh Katchi Abadi Act, passed in 1987, led to the creation of the Sindh Katchi Abadi Authority to grant ownership rights to slum settlements, but residents still faced threats of demolition.
He claimed that nearly 80 per cent of land along railway tracks in Karachi was occupied by upscale residential and commercial properties, petrol pumps, and industrial units located close to the tracks, while only 20 per cent consisted of slum settlements at similar distances.
According to Farooq, Pakistan Railways was attempting to acquire more land from poorer communities in the name of ROW despite no operational obstruction within the railway corridor.
Nasir Mansoor of the National Trade Union Federation criticized state policies as anti-poor and urged affected communities to organize collectively to protect their rights.
Vice Chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Qazi Khizer, stressed that all affected communities should be informed and included in decision-making related to the project.
The ML-1 Affecters Action Committee demanded physical surveys of settlements along railway land, publication of maps identifying affected areas, a clear definition of railway ROW, a transparent list of affected families, an environmental impact assessment, and a detailed rehabilitation plan before any displacement takes place.
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