June 2, 2026
By Hafiz Ullah Storai Sherani
ISLAMABAD
For 45-year-old Rakhshanda Masih, her life over the past 20 years, living in the federal capital, has been a struggle. Today, that struggle has turned into a paralyzing fear.
Living in a single-room shack near Rehman Baba Road in the G-7 Colony, Rakhshanda is fighting poverty as well as trying to keep a roof over her head, supporting her son who has a disability, her ailing husband, and three other small children.
“Where will we go? Tell these rulers not to destroy our homes. It is better to die than to have our shelter snatched away. Where do I take this child?” she pleads, her voice trembling with the weight of two decades of uncertainty.
A growing crisis in the Federal Capital
Rakhshanda’s story is not unique. Across Islamabad from Allama Iqbal Colony to Rimsha Colony and Dhobi Ghat—thousands of families are living under the shadow of the Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) ongoing demolition drive.
According to the All-Pakistan Alliance for Katchi Abadis, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), and the Awami Workers Party (AWP), the situation has already reached a boiling point. The alliance claims that recent enforcement actions have already rendered nearly 50,000 working-class residents homeless.
Allegations of double standards
During an emergency meeting of social and political organizations, leaders expressed outrage over what they described as the government’s “pro-elite” bias. The alliance pointedly questioned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s reported intervention to halt evictions at the luxury apartment complex, One Constitution Avenue.
“Why is there protection for the elite, but none for the historic villages and katchi abadis?” the alliance demanded in a joint statement. They have now implored the Supreme Court and the Federal Constitutional Court to take notice of repeated violations of stay orders against evictions.
CDA stance: “No new eviction notices”
The official stance remains firm but contradictory to the fears on the ground. Shahid Kiani, the CDA spokesperson, clarified that no formal eviction notices have been issued specifically to katchi abadi residents recently.
In a communication with Voicepk, Kiani said, “The current enforcement drive is strictly focused on illegal constructions. These operations are conducted according to set legal procedures, including providing prior notices, demarcation, and the opportunity to respond in compliance with court orders.The CDA maintains that its goal is to preserve Islamabad’s Master Plan while maintaining transparency.”
As the bulldozers wait, the political stakes are rising. Civil society groups have warned members of the National Assembly and Senate that abandoning the katchi abadi residents who form a crucial voting bloc hollows out the very basis of democratic representation.
For residents like Rakhshanda, the legalities and political debates matter little. For her, the “Master Plan” of Islamabad feels like a blueprint for her family’s ruin.