Authorities demolishing upper portions of houses near US Consulate in Karachi.

KARACHI -- Five people were taken into custody for resisting the demolition of seven residential buildings in Sultanabad near the US Consulate, police said on Wednesday.

The Karachi Bachao Tehreek, an alliance of several political and civil society organisations, was protesting against the demolition of houses around three major drains in the metropolis.

It said that working-class residents of Sultanabad near the US Consulate had been arrested for 'peacefully protesting' against the demolition of their homes.

KBT convenor Khurram Nayar told Dawn that on Monday night, the deputy commissioner of Keamari, Mukhtiar Abro, asked the residents to vacate their houses because the same would be demolished in view of 'security concerns' to the foreign mission.

Police arrest five protesters; DC says 'high-rise' buildings built illegally on small plots

Mr Nayar claimed that the residents had already obtained a stay order from the Sindh High Court a week ago.

Despite this, the demolition of seven residential buildings started on Tuesday under the supervision of the area deputy commissioner.

He said some of the residents tried to film the demolition work and ran towards their homes when the law-enforcers took action but the police detained five of them in the evening.

They were initially taken to the Jackson police station where the activists reached. Subsequently, they were taken to the Docks police station where a case was registered against them on charges of 'attempted murder, riots and encounter with the police'.

The KBT chief added the held citizens were presented before a concerned court, which remanded them in police custody for two days.

Mr Khurram claimed that the authorities were destroying the residential buildings because of a 'perceived security threat' to the...