Colonization in urban areas of Pakistan has increased significantly in recent decades, converting large areas of agricultural land to residential and commercial use. Key factors driving this include rural-urban migration, low agricultural productivity, and lack of developed land for housing and industry. Both planned developments like Bahria Town and unplanned informal settlements have expanded. This has adversely impacted food security and the environment by reducing fertile land and vegetation. Weak government policies and the power of land mafias have further enabled unchecked urban encroachment on rural areas.

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