Webinar – In Memory of Tasneem A. Siddiqui
Tasneem Ahmad Siddiqui former top civil servant and social activist passed away from
a sudden cardiac arrest at the age of 82 early on Saturday morning in Karachi. He was
most celebrated for his conceptualisation of the project known as Khuda Ki Basti in
Hyderabad and the reinvigoration of the Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority.
His most significant professional achievements were connected to his abiding interest in
providing affordable housing to the urban poor. The Khuda Ki Basti-Incremental
Development Scheme (aka ‘City of God’) that he designed won the Aga Khan Award for
Architecture in 1995 while Siddiqui’s services as a government servant were recognised
by the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award of the Philippines government and a
Sitara-i-Imtiaz in 1999.
Khuda Ki Basti project, was based on providing the poor a piece of land at affordable
rates and letting them build their shelters incrementally, using their own resources and
labour. His design sought to use insights from informal land developers, often described
as a ‘mafia’, as well as control land speculation. In 1992, he also set up an NGO,
Saiban, to spread the model to cities like Karachi, Gharo and Lahore.
Outcomes:
● Remembering the legacy left behind by Taseem A. Siddiqui
● Urge to honour his most celebrated conceptualised project known as Khuda Ki
Basti and lessons for us
● Understand the key concepts in developing the informal land for the poors
● Advocate his research and services such as ‘Saiban’ to the general public
