Rimsha Masih Case Haunts Slum Dwellers of H-9 Islamabad

Asma Ghani

Islamabad: 10 years ago, in August 2012, hundreds of Christian families, living in Mehrabadi area near G-12 Islamabad, fled their homes at night to save their lives leaving behind all their belongings after a teenage girl of the community was accused of blasphemy.

Rimsha Masih, who was falsely accused of burning pages from the Holy Quran, left the country and took asylum in Canada with her family but the rest of the community was displaced forever. The displaced families, with the consent of the then government, set up makeshift tents in H-9/2 that they constructed into cement structures over the years on their own and started to call it Rimsha Colony.

But, despite the passage of a decade, the slum dwellers still have been living without basic amenities such as proper housing, running water, electricity, natural gas and sanitation for years.

Akram Masih Gill Colony, adjacent to Rimsha Colony, is also without basic services. The absence of basic facilities has led to poor health and social conditions, and economic disparities in these slums.

As there is no electricity and the houses remain dark and hot. The inhabitants prefer to spend the daytime outside. Many have installed solar panels depending on their affordability but those who haven’t, use candles, torches and rechargeable lights.

Razia Masih is a resident of the vicinity. Talking to The PenPk.com, she said that they had installed only one panel as more panels will cost more, adding that therefore, they can only light a bulb and a fan at night but no other electric appliances.“ But it doesn’t work when there are clouds and the sky is overcast,” she added.A view of Rimsha Colony near Sector H-9,Islamabad. Asma Ghani

Sadrak Masih, an elderly resident of the area, said that mostly people use gas cylinders or cut down trees and bushes from the nearby forest for cooking. Likewise, he said, they pay Rs.250 per day for filling their water tanks to those who have installed bore pumps to sell water.

Initially, most of these families had come from different areas of Punjab and worked as sweepers or sanitary workers either in government institutions or in affluent neighbourhoods like their forefathers who were scheduled-caste Hindus. But they are not paid even the minimum wage set by the government.

Many work as labourers or have their own small businesses and only a few work on high-paid positions. Majority of them are not qualified enough to get good jobs and to send their children to better educational institutions.

Sagar, 8,was sitting idly outside his home as he does not go to school. When asked the reason, he said, “My father can’t afford to send all his five children to school.” However, he was quick to express his willingness to go to school.

“A government school is some two-and-a-half kilometers away from the area. Therefore, some families have arranged pick and drop service for their children,” said Danial Masih, a representative of the area, adding that some go to school on foot too but many don’t go altogether.

“Children of the area are not given admissions in model colleges considered having better educational standards in the city,” he said.

“Good educational institutions refuse admissions to the students of the area because they are not cultured and don’t meet their educational standards,” Ilyas, a parent said. “How can they compete with other children when they live in the area that has no power, water and proper sanitation facilities?” the frustrated parent questioned.

Living under the constant threat of eviction, the dwellers have no place to go but to live in substandard conditions. Neither are they provided with the basic services here nor are they given an alternate place to resettle.

According to the elders of the area, around 500 to 700 families came to the vicinity when the Rimsha Masih incident occurred. Some Christian families displaced from Rawal Dam were already living in the area. Later, more families arrived and settled here. Now, according to them, about 1500 families have been living in the twin colonies.

The residents fear that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) would demolish their houses for the construction of 10^th Avenue. “We are in the dark about the government plans regarding our future,” said a pastor of the area who wished not to be named. “We built these houses from scratch with our own hands, spending everything we earned even borrowing from others. Now it’s hard to move out again,” he added.

People are still in debt, said Daniel Masih, and added that the residents should not only be provided alternate place but some compensation too to meet development needs.

Disoriented like them, the civic authority, however, considers them illegal settlements that would be demolished eventually. “Providing connections of basic services would mean legalizing them which they are not as they have occupied government land,” said spokesperson of the Authority Asif Raza. “And, the agency cannot evict them either because of the pressure of the courts, media and civil society activists,” he added.

“Despite the fact that these slums are illegal, some have connections of basic amenities and we also rescue and help them during floods. The Civic Agency has been planning to accommodate slum residents gradually in housing schemes by allocating them some plots in different schemes,” he said, adding that about 300 to 400 low-cost plots have been reserved for Kachi Abadi residents in a Malpur housing scheme.

“Currently, the courts have stayed the eviction from Kachi Abadies until the dwellers are provided with an adequate alternative place for resettlement,” said Advocate Umer Ijaz Gilani who has represented the I-11 Katchi Abadi residents in court and also assists the Islamabad High Court as amicus curiae on the matter.

“If people establish shanties or makeshift houses on a government land, still they have the Constitutional right to shelter under Article 9 even if they don’t own the property,” he said.

Overall, there are 49 slums and 14 underserved areas in Islamabad city, according to a United Nations Children’s Fund report, titled: ‘Profile of Slums/Underserved Areas of Islamabad City’. Only 43 percent slums are registered by city authorities, it says, which means that the rest of the settlements are illegal and therefore, do not have access to public health, water and sanitation system and schools.

The report says that around 38 percent houses of slums/underserved areas are Kacha (non-concrete) or Kacha/Pacca. Although, most of the households in these areas have toilet facilities, more than half of them are without proper solid and liquid waste disposal system.

Assessment reveals that government water supply is non existent in 73 percent areas while only 51 percent children were fully immunized.

When assessed for the availability of social welfare schemes, about 32 percent slums do not have any schools which means that either the children in these areas do not attend a school or have to travel a long distance to have access to the nearest school.