Two policemen injured as CDA anti-encroachment drive sparks protest

ISLAMABAD: Two policemen were injured on Tuesday after residents protested against an anti-encroachment operation launched by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in Islamabad’s Noorpur Shahan area, according to a report in Dawn.

The CDA’s enforcement action was met with strong resistance from local residents as the operation got under way. During the protest, angry individuals set two CDA vehicles on fire, while authorities used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Additional police personnel were also called in to bring the law and order situation under control.

Operation met with resistance

The confrontation began when the CDA enforcement wing started its anti-encroachment drive in Noorpur Shahan. Residents opposed the action and the situation escalated, resulting in injuries to two policemen.

The authorities were compelled to respond with tear-gas shelling after protesters torched two official vehicles belonging to the CDA.

The development came a day after another protest by residents of a low-income settlement in the capital led to the postponement of a similar operation.

Previous operation postponed in G-7

Dawn reported that slum dwellers of Allama Iqbal Colony in G-7 had staged a protest a day earlier, forcing the CDA to put off its planned operation there.

When the enforcement wing began that operation, residents resisted and created a law and order situation. The team then left the area after sealing two structures.

HRCP raises concerns

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has also expressed concern over the CDA’s anti-encroachment actions in the capital.

Last month the HRCP, along with several civil society organisations, urged the authorities to immediately stop all planned and ongoing eviction operations in Islamabad’s low-income neighbourhoods and katchi abadis.

The latest incident in Noorpur Shahan has come amid continuing scrutiny of eviction and anti-encroachment measures in informal settlements and other low-income areas of Islamabad.

Dawn said the story was developing and being updated as the situation evolved.