Residential rights demanded for rural poor

HYDERABAD: Institute of Social Movement Pakistan (ISM PAK) and Oxfam GB organized a rally here on Monday to press for the residential rights of village residents.

Participants of the rally, who included intellectuals, social activists and human rights workers, started their march from Sindh University Old Campus and ended outside the press club.

Speaking on the occasion Director ISM PAK Zulfiqar Shah said a large part of Sindh's population is living without residential rights of their property.

"They face issues of ownership of their homes, transfer of property to the heirs and even they come across incidents of illegal occupation and forced evacuation," he explained.

A large number of people from different villages of Hyderabad and adjoining districts also participated in the march and shouted slogans for regularization of their villages.

They said their villages were centuries old but they did not legally own the houses which their ancestors built and which they continue to inhabit.

"Most of these unregistered villages don't have basic facilities like roads, water supply and drainage, schools and hospitals. They either lack utilities like electricity and gas or have illegal connections which contribute to the losses of the national enterprises supplying these facilities," said Jan Muhammad Shoro, an elder of Shoro tribe from a village in Jamshoro.

He urged the government to expedite the process of survey of unregistered villages and their subsequent regularization.

Human rights activist Punhal Sariyo said these villages are also stronghold of the PPP from which they expect their rights.

Among others, senior journalists Sohail Sangi and Jaffar Memon, Nawaz Ali Shoro, Rehmatullah Turk and peasants rights activist Taj Mari participated.