Land mafias and the battle for Karachi's booming real estate

Karachi

PERWEEN Rahman was returning home one evening in March 2013 from her job as head of the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP), which for years has pushed land title claims for Karachi's poor, when she was shot three times by a gunman on a motorcycle.

Ms Rahman died as she was rushed to hospital by her friend and colleague Anwar Rashid.

"He was a sharp shooter," said Rashid, now 71 years old and white-haired, but still a director of the OPP, pointing to his throat and chest to indicate where Ms Rahman was hit. "This is because of the land - the police, the mafia, all involved."

Her death exposed the dark underbelly of real estate development in one of the world's fastest-growing megacities. Karachi is home to about 15 million people, two large seaports and Pakistan's financial infrastructure, making it the country's economic powerhouse. Its appeal is set to rise as China pumps in more than US$50 billio…