Meet the man who’s been living on a tree in Karachi for 18 years

KARACHI: A homeless man in the metropolis has built a home for himself in a large banyan tree as he can’t afford accommodation in a city bursting at the seams.

Muhammad Hassan has been living on his makeshift home in a tree for last 18 years, reported the Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty (Rferl).

In an interview with the Rferl, the 81-year-old man said it was his only place to live as he didn’t have another home.

He worked as a labourer in Islamabad for 15 years and then moved to Karachi after death of his wife but due to financial constraints couldn’t buy a home here.

He told the Rferl that he wasn’t happy in Islamabad and hence decided to move to Karachi.

 

And to everyone’s surprise, the police have not raised any objection or bothered him for living in a tree house.

Karachi property prices jumped 23 percent last year to a record high, outpacing other large cities and the national average of 10 percent, data from a property website showed.

Karachi has grown rapidly in the last few decades and now has more than 23 million people, with a population density of over 24,000 people per square kilometer.

Pictures courtesy: Rferl