This presentation presents an overview of the colonisation process in Pakistan.

1. Colonisation in Urban Areas
Khalid Saifullah

2. Let’s try to find out the answers of following
question?
Defining the term “colonization” in the context of our
training
What are recent status of colonization in Pakistan?
What are key factors behind it?
Who are the main stakeholders in this process?
What are the effects of this colonialization?

3. Colonization – Key Features
Colonisation - the action of appropriating a place or
region for one's own use.
In our context – plotting of agriculture / rural / forest /
non commercial land for housing, industries, schools,
markets, parks and other urban and commercial needs
Planned and unplanned
Public and private
Land is the central resource in this process and the way
it is used directly affects its value.

4. Why Colonialization ?
Horizontal urbanization -
Rural to urban migration, natural growth and urban push
The low productivity and yield of agriculture land
Traditional farming practices, inefficient irrigation, high input
costs, and many others issues (who is responsible for this?)
Non availability of developed land at affordable prices, for
housing, industrial and commercial enterprise (industrial estates
to some extent)

5. Why Colonialization ?
Rural vs commercial – land value
Unachieved agricultural potential in Pakistan is from 67 to 84
percent in overall. How we will know which option is more
contributive to economic growth; investing in agriculture or
commercialization?
Weak or no regulations and policies of Government
The common practice of “commercialization” of land along
roads.
Stakeholders: Land mafia – investors / political elite - upper
class - Government

6. Trends in Colonialization
 Initially colonialization was undertaken primarily through
Government (city development authorities), which controlled and
developed public land into plots for selling to public.
 Due to increasing urban population, the authorities started
allowing private entrepreneurs to develop land
 Housing accounts for more than 70% of land use in most cities.
 Housing is not central to national development agenda in Pakistan.

7. Planned and Unplanned Colonialization
Planned – Islamabad, DHA, Bahria and other housing
colonies, industrial states, schools, hospitals, parks
Unplanned – Katchi abadis, informal settlements.

8. Effects of Colonialization
Adverse effect on fertile agricultural land – food security
Residential area in Pakistan has increased by more than 2.5
times during the last two decades at the expanse of class one
farm land of 77,000 hectares.
In Lahore only, during last 40 years, 11,4630 ha of arable land
converted to urban use and 18 percent of this converted land
fell to 252 large housing schemes.
According to WFP, currently 60% of Pakistan’s population are
food insecure and an average Pakistani household spends 50.8
percent of monthly income on food.

9. Effects of Colonialization
 Climate Change – Global Warming – Heat Strokes – Smog
 Vegetation helps regulating temperatures
 Majority of sun’s energy is absorbed by urban structures – Green
house effect
 2015 was the hottest year in history
 The demand for land and its commercial value has led to acquiring
it through any means lawful or unlawful
 Created an insecure environment for rural households –
homelessness, poverty, destroys family cohesion.

10. Colonialization – Case Study of Karachi
Competition for land has resulted in ‘violent gang
wars’. In 2011, conflict over land between workers of
political party and members of the ‘Land mafia’ lead
to city-wide riots in which twenty-three people were
killed.

11. Colonialization – Case Study of Islamabad
 More demand – less supply
 60,000 housing units are still short for Islamabad;
consequently informal settlements have increased.
 There are approximately 85,500 people living in 34 Kaatchi
Abaadis in Islamabad city; 10 are recognized as legitimate for
social services, as part of a ‘slum upgrading project’, others
are deemed illegal.

12. Colonialization – Example of Islamabad
Urban expansion has increased from 165 Sq km in 1972
to 252.31 Sq km in 2009 while the area of agricultural
land/vegetation has decreased from 640.71 Sq km in
1972 to 561.35 Sq km in the same period.
Deforestation continues in rural Islamabad and
Rawalpindi: the Loi Bher Forest Reserve is almost
diminished. An overall increase of 2.36 Sq km per year in
urban development in Islamabad territory over a period
of 37 years (1972–2009).

13. Colonialization – Example of Lahore & Mardan
In Lahore district 94% of the total area was under
agricultural use in 1972, but in 2010 it reduced to
29.5%.
In Mardan city of KPK, the built-up area has been
doubled from 30% in 1990 to over 63% in 2010. This
loss of agricultural land directly affects the livelihoods
of those associated with agriculture.

14. Example of Bahawalpur
 During the last 61 years, an area of 1,142 acres (462.15 hectares)
had been converted to 102 colonies at an average rate of 18.72
acres per year.
 Among these colonies only 18 were approved by concerned
authorities whereas 84 were not approved.
 Approved colonies occupy an area of just 197 acres (17.25% of
the total) whereas non-approved colonies and towns cover a
huge area of 945 acres (82.74%).

15. Bahria Town – A Case Study
Pakistan is one of the 20 countries of the world
where Real Estate business is on top of the list.
Annual revenue: 10 Billion US $
Assets: 20 Billions US$ (Exports of Pakistan – 21
Billion US$ 2017)
Karachi – 44,000 Acres - government land
Rawalpindi – 40,000 Acres

16. Contributing Factors
Non-implementation of policies, plans and legal
frameworks
Lack of technical and financial capacity of relevant
institutions
Property development and dealing lies in informal
economy, no registration / controlling authority
Weak urban land management in terms of disorganized
land records
Poorly functioning land market, informal economy

17. Lets watch a documentary on
colonization in India

18. Thank you for your time