ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) board has decided to request the federal cabinet led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to undo a decision made by the previous cabinet of Imran Khan in 2020 regarding creating a buffer zone in the H sectors.

CDA officials said the H-series sectors were not a buffer zone of Islamabad rather it was the ‘I’ series that was the buffer between Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

The previous cabinet on Sept 22, 2020, had directed the CDA to cancel all allotted lands/plots where construction had not been started hitherto.

In 2008, the then prime minister approved the reduction of the width of buffer zone (2,700 feet wide) comprising the northern half of H-11/2 to 1,000 feet so as to allot land for different institutional use.

On Sept 22, 2020, civic agency was directed to cancel allotment of plots where construction had not been started

The officials said that in light of the decision, plots in H-8, H-9, H-10, H-11, H-12 and H-16 were allotted for construction of the Central Engineering Lab, PWD Rest House, Wapda Hospital, Hindu Community Centre and Cremation Temple, Regional Training Institutions, Islamabad Traffic Police, Pakistan Institute of Development Economic, Air University, FAST University and several other government organisations.

The CDA board in May this year discussed the case following the 2020 decision of the federal cabinet.

The CDA annulled all allotted plots where development had not yet started. Following this, the allottees approached the CDA requesting that either suitable plots of equivalent size be allotted to them or the plots allotted earlier be restored as the public institutions had already gotten their projects approved through relevant forums.

The board was told that since the CDA had no land bank of un-allotted plots in the acquired sectors of the H-series, neither the allotment of alternative plots against the cancelled ones of the buffer zone/northern half could be made so far nor fresh requests from new applicant departments could be entertained.

Member Planning Naveed Ilahi told the board that the buffer zone was provided between Rawalpindi and Islamabad in the initial master plan of Islamabad because the boundary between the two cities was envisaged as Kashmir Highway/Srinagar Highway at that time. But in 1963, the limits of Islamabad were shifted to the south of I-series, so provision of a buffer along H-series was nothing but a lavish overspend of land.

He requested the board to request the federal cabinet to undo the decision.

Sources said while agreeing with the member planning’s suggestion, the board decided to approach the cabinet led by Shehbaz Sharif with a request to review the previous decision.

However, the board decided that massive tree plantation may be carried out in the vacant unalloted area to enhance its green character while walking tracks, parks may also be established for the public in the area.

“Yes, the board decided to request the cabinet to review the decision of 2020 regarding buffer zone. We are preparing a summary in this regard,” said a board member, requesting not to be named.

The CDA officials said following the previous cabinet’s decision, a number of allotees had filed court cases and requested the CDA not to cancel their plots.

The officials said the area did not fall in the buffer zone as well.

They said buffer zones were neutral sites that separated two areas: Islamabad’s buffer zone separates the federal capital from Rawalpindi, adding the H series did not fall in the actual buffer zone of Islamabad at all.

They said under the original master plan, A to H sectors were part of Islamabad and J to O were to be developed by the Rawalpindi administration.

A buffer zone was earmarked in the H sectors to separate the two cities but in 1963 it was decided that Islamabad would consist of A to I sectors instead of H sectors. Because of this, the twin cities were divided by I.J. Principal Road not by H series. Therefore, they said there was no question of a buffer zone in H series.

The officials said the spirit of the buffer zone in H-16 and its adjoining sectors had already diminished in the 70s when the CDA allotted land for government buildings there.

They said the federal cabinet in 2020 without knowing the actual status of the buffer zone had directed the CDA to cancel all the allotted plots in the area.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2022