The decision to ensure no injustice in the anti-encroachment drive in Karachi by the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is the right response to the outcries of the local populace of the city. The anti-encroachment drive Karachi started with the aim of freeing up public spaces being used by vendors. In a metropolitan like Karachi, traffic is a big issue. Along with the introduction of reforms in public transport, there was a dire need to free up spaces that are illegally occupied. The expectation is to free up pedestrian walking spaces and that initiative has been going on rigorously.

Despite the concern for the public spaces and the mobility of the pedestrians, there is an outcry because of no arrangements being made for people who had set up a livelihood in those spaces. The hawkers, the vendors and the long ques of a variety of possessions do not have a source of income anymore. Neither have they been allotted an alternate space nor have been compensated for the immediate losses that they have incurred. These are those segments of the society which depend on a daily wage in order to survive.

The stance of the Supreme Court (SC) to forbid destroying house in the areas listed in the anti-encroachment drive. This gestures shows an understanding of the situation on ground and can be a direction that the government itself can adopt. Along with the drive, another program should be launched which provides complete data of the persons displayed and provide economic opportunities to them. This will ensure that no person affected develops animosity and is pushed towards crime, the ratio of which needs to be controlled in a big city like Karachi.