Bid to encroach Islamabad's national park land in Bhara Kahu foiled

Islamabad's Capital Development Authority (CDA) halted a recent attempt to encroach upon the national park’s land in Bhara Kahu (Forest 8) on Tuesday. The environmental division of CDA removed the freshly constructed encroachment from state land and suspended two officials linked to the incident.

In January this year, a similar encroachment attempt was made in a nearby area. Sources revealed that this time, a boundary wall was being constructed on the state land in plain view. The CDA's Chairman, Sohail Ashraf, and Member, Abdullah Khurram Niazi, intervened to take action, which had been delayed despite the construction activity continuing for three days.

The encroached land in question, covering nearly 16 kanals adjacent to Murree Road, would be worth over one billion rupees if compared to commercial land in Bhara Kahu. The Director General of Environment, Irfan Niazi, explained that without CDA officials' support, such an encroachment would be impossible. "We have already taken action against two concerned officials [forest guard and gardener Reserve Forest] while an inquiry has also been ordered," he said.

An inquiry will determine the role of each officer/official, with stricter actions ensuing. Meanwhile, the CDA plans to lodge an FIR against the alleged encroachers. Interestingly, no action was taken against the concerned director who remained "unaware" of the encroachment for three days. The environment wing holds comprehensive records of all forests, including records from 1902 and 1935, and can use satellite images to identify illegitimate construction.